It wasn't the result we wanted, but it's the result most Philadelphia Phillies fans should have expected. On Thursday, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) revealed the National League's Most Valuable Player, with Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber losing another award to Los Angeles Dodgers unicorn Shohei Ohtani.
The results of the voting, done by writers from every NL city, saw Ohtani claim all 30 first-place votes in a unanimous 420-point sweep. Schwarber finished second with 23 second-place votes and 260 points.
The New York Mets' Juan Soto came third with 231 points. Phillies shortstop Trea Turner placed fifth with 102 points.
This isn't the first time that the now-free agent Schwarber has been bested by Ohtani this MLB awards season. Last week, Ohtani won the NL Silver Slugger Award at the designated hitter position. If Schwarber couldn't even wrestle that one away from the best player ever, what chance did he stand in the MVP race?
The answer: not much chance at all.
Kyle Schwarber can't top Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP despite a career season for Phillies
The argument for Schwarber to win his first MVP starts with his NL-leading 56 home runs and MLB-best 132 RBIs. His .928 OPS ranked second in the NL; his 150 OPS+ ranked third. It was easily the best season of his career and it will be a season remembered by Phillies fans for a long time.
Schwarber carried the Phillies offense wire-to-wire. While almost everyone around him struggled at the plate to some degree or missed time with injury, he hoisted the lineup on his back and helped them score the eighth-most runs (778) in the majors.
This second-place finish marks Schwarber's best MVP showing in his fourth consecutive year receiving votes. He placed 16th in 2022, his first year with the Phillies, 19th the following season and 15th in 2024.
KYLE SCHWARBER FOUR HOME RUN GAME ARE YOU KIDDING pic.twitter.com/GY7JA2x721
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 29, 2025
Unfortunately for Schwarber, Ohtani exists. This marks his fourth career MVP, his third in a row and his second in the NL with the Dodgers.
The two-way player posted the top OPS (1.014) and OPS+ (179) in the NL. He also finished just behind Schwarber with 55 home runs. While Ohtani drove in the sixth-most runs in the NL with 102, he scored by far the most, crossing the plate 146 times.
And then there's the pitching, which he resumed in June after recovering from elbow surgery. He had a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 62 and walking nine in 47 innings.
As for Soto, the acclaimed hitter has yet to win an MVP award. In his first season with the Mets, he led the NL with a .396 on-base percentage and finished third with a .921 OPS. He also ranked third with 43 home runs, 105 RBIs and second with 120 runs scored. He tied for first with a surprising 38 stolen bases.