When you're talking about the National League MVP race in 2026, there's one name that towers above the rest: Shohei Ohtani. The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way phenom has once again topped MLB.com's first MVP poll of the season, and despite a slight dip at the plate, he's still the clear frontrunner.

In a poll of 40 MLB.com analysts, 28 cast their votes for Ohtani as the NL's top player so far. That's no surprise for a player who has won the NL MVP unanimously in both of his seasons with the Dodgers. At 31 years old, he's on pace for a historic third straight award.

But here's the twist: Ohtani hasn't been his usual dominant self at the plate this season. His .814 OPS is well below the 1.000 standard he's set in recent years. However, that slump doesn't matter when you're also the best pitcher in the National League. Through the first month of the season, Ohtani boasts a microscopic 0.60 ERA—a number that would lead MLB if he had enough innings to qualify.

"Who else did you expect to see here?" one analyst remarked. "It seems safe to say that as long as Ohtani is elite at either hitting or pitching, he will continue to be the MVP favorite in the NL. One could even argue that if he remains simply league average at both that he'd be a strong MVP candidate."

The analyst continued: "On this day, Ohtani is running away with the prize on the strength of a 0.60 ERA as a pitcher and an .825 OPS as a hitter. Though he doesn't have enough innings to qualify for the ERA lead, let's not act like he's been anything but crazy-impressive on the mound (he's the NL Pitcher of the Month for March/April). And though his offensive numbers don't lead the league, let's also not pretend that it's normal for any pitcher other than him to warrant a lineup spot because he's such a major offensive threat. Like it or not, fair or not, when you do both things at the level of Ohtani, you're the easy MVP favorite."

Ohtani's journey to superstardom began in 2021 with the Los Angeles Angels, when he won his first MVP. That season, he blasted 46 home runs, drove in 100 runs for the first time, and made 23 starts on the mound with a 3.18 ERA. Two seasons later, he repeated the feat with another 23-start campaign, posting a 3.14 ERA while leading the American League with 44 homers and an MLB-best 1.0 OPS.

Now in Dodger blue, Ohtani is proving that even a "slump" can't derail his MVP campaign. Whether he's on the mound or at the plate, he remains the most valuable player in the National League—and the favorite to take home the hardware once again.