Shohei Ohtani remains one of baseball’s most productive hitters, but an MLB.com expert panel did not project him as the 2026 All-MLB First Team designated hitter. That spot went to Houston Astros star Yordan Alvarez.
The result looks startling because Ohtani has become the sport’s default answer to almost any best-player debate. The numbers, however, reveal a positional race in which an excellent Ohtani season has run into an extraordinary Alvarez season.
The Hitter Who Moved Ahead of Ohtani
GettyYordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros at bat during the first inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
MLB.com’s August All-MLB projection placed Alvarez on the First Team and Ohtani on the Second Team at designated hitter. This was an editorial poll based on performance through Sunday and expectations for the rest of the schedule—not an official vote or a finalized honor.
Alvarez entered Monday batting .322 with 35 home runs and an American League-leading 86 RBIs. He also led MLB with a 1.059 OPS, 266 total bases, and a 188 weighted runs created plus. His 137 hits led the AL, while his 5.4 Baseball-Reference WAR topped the league’s position players.
Those totals made Alvarez the panel’s clear choice. They also put him within reach of an AL Triple Crown, which requires leading the league in batting average, home runs, and RBIs.
Ohtani’s offensive line was hardly ordinary. He had 26 homers, an NL-leading .937 OPS, and 225 total bases, the most among National League designated hitters. He remained the most dangerous hitter in a Dodgers lineup built around multiple former MVP winners. In most seasons, that profile would look like an obvious First Team résumé.
Alvarez simply owned the stronger hitting case at the cutoff.
What the Projection Does—and Doesn’t—Mean
GettyShohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the on deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Chase Field on August 07, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. Diamondbacks won 4-3. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
The designated-hitter comparison isolates offensive production. Ohtani’s value as a pitcher does not erase Alvarez’s advantage in a ballot slot reserved for DH, and the panel separately selected five starting pitchers for each team.
That distinction is essential. Calling the projection a “snub” would imply Ohtani lacked recognition or that voters ignored his performance. In reality, the panel still placed him among baseball’s two best designated hitters while rewarding the player for leading more major offensive categories.
The prediction can change. All-MLB honors are determined after the regular season, and the panel said its ballots combined results so far with expectations for what comes next. A late Ohtani surge, an Alvarez slump, or missed time could reorder the position.
Ohtani also retains an audience few athletes can match. He received more than 3.3 million votes during the first phase of 2026 All-Star balloting, finishing as the National League’s top vote-getter. That popularity makes any second-place projection feel larger than a routine midseason ranking.
But the surprise should not obscure the answer. Ohtani did not fall to the Second Team because his season collapsed. Alvarez moved ahead by building a Triple Crown-caliber offensive campaign.
The name above Ohtani creates curiosity. The statistical gap explains the panel’s choice.
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