ANAHEIM -- Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was named a finalist for the American League Most Valuable Player Award on Monday, although he wasn’t among the three finalists for the AL Cy Young Award.

Ohtani joins the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez as the finalists for the AL MVP Award, while the Astros’ Justin Verlander, the White Sox’s Dylan Cease and the Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah were the three finalists for the AL Cy Young Award. The AL MVP Award winner will be announced on Nov. 17, and Judge is considered the favorite.

• Here are all the BBWAA Awards finalists

It was another unbelievable season for Ohtani, who won the AL MVP Award in 2021. He slashed .273/.356/.519 with 34 homers, 11 stolen bases and 95 RBIs in 157 games, while also going 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings.

Notably, general manager Perry Minasian also told reporters at the GM Meetings on Monday ahead of the finalists announcements that the Angels don’t plan to trade Ohtani this offseason.

Ohtani, 28, said he believed he had an even better season than he did in 2021, as he improved as a pitcher, especially with his command. He became the first player to qualify among the league leaders as both a pitcher and a hitter, eclipsing the 162 innings needed to qualify as a pitcher and the 502 plate appearances to qualify as a hitter. He also became the only player with 10 wins on the mound and 30 homers at the plate in the same season.

“I feel like this season was better than last season, just looking at it overall,” Ohtani said at the end of the season through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “But I’d like to be in the playoffs. Hopefully, that’s the case next year.”

• All-time AL MVP Award winners

As a pitcher, Ohtani led the AL in strikeouts per nine innings (11.9) and also led the league with 10 games with at least 10 strikeouts. He also struck out a career-high 13 batters against the Royals on June 22, a day after he set a career high with eight RBIs in a two-homer game.

Ohtani introduced a two-seam fastball and a second slider to his arsenal while improving his control, increasing his strikeout rate and decreasing his walk rate. But he was most proud of his ability to stay on the field, as he made all 28 of his scheduled starts. He had five more outings than he did in 2021 and threw 36 1/3 more innings. 

"I think the biggest takeaway with my pitching was I was able to make every start without skipping any,” Ohtani said. “I finished strong. I finished healthy. I just need to improve and do the same thing next year." 

As a hitter, Ohtani wasn't quite as strong as he was in 2021, when he hit 46 homers, stole 26 bases and posted a .965 OPS in 155 games. But he still posted an .875 OPS, which ranked fifth in the AL, and his 70 extra-base hits ranked third in the league.

Offense was down league-wide compared to 2021, and Ohtani explained that he tried to hit for a higher average in ’22, which he was able to do. He hit .257 with 189 strikeouts in 639 plate appearances in '21, then hit .273 with 161 strikeouts in 666 plate appearances this season.

"Coming into the season, I was shooting for hitting closer to .300 and see if I could still keep up the homer pace,” Ohtani said. “This year, I felt like I had a lot of balls that just didn't carry enough and went right at the fence or in front of it. I just need that extra little thump, and it's something I worked on."

Add it all up and Ohtani produced 9.6 wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference. It trailed only Judge's 10.6 bWAR and was higher than Ohtani's 9.0 bWAR in '21. His 6.1 bWAR as a pitcher trailed only Cease's 6.4 bWAR in the AL.

Ohtani’s ability to pitch and hit at an elite level makes him stand out above the rest, according to manager Phil Nevin. Ohtani remains under contract for one more season with the Angels after signing a one-year deal worth $30 million on Oct. 1.

“He’s the best baseball player I think anybody has ever seen, to be honest,” Nevin said. “I really believe that. All-around. I don’t think there’s any argument you can make that he’s not the best baseball player that’s played the game.”