J.D. Martinez Has Bold Prediction About Shohei Ohtani's Career

Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez is fully aboard the Shohei Ohtani hype train.

Martinez, who competed in his fifth-career All-Star game on Tuesday night, has played with and against plenty of good major leaguers throughout his career. But few compare to the Angels' Ohtani, whom Martinez sees as the early favorite to be named American League MVP for the second consecutive year.

“I think it’s a no-brainer,” Martinez said of Ohtani's MVP chances, via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. “How are you going to compete with Ohtani? He’s gonna win it for the next five years. As long as he pitches and he hits, you’re not going to beat him."

Ohtani entered the All-Star break hitting .258 with 19 dingers and 56 RBIs. The 28-year-old phenom also sports a 2.38 ERA, 9-4 win-loss record, and has recorded 123 strikeouts.

Though five or six consecutive MVP's seems far-fetched, Martinez has a valid point about Ohtani's ability to affect the game as both a pitcher and hitter, and the inability of other superstars to surpass his impact.

“Look at last year,” Martinez added. “If Vladdy didn’t win it, nobody’s going to win it. It’s too much. If you look at the WAR numbers, the value numbers, who else can affect the game both sides?"

Martinez, currently hitting .302, finds Ohtani impressive enough to have his name attached to MLB's most prestigious individual award - permanently.

"Just change the name of (the MVP) to The Ohtani Award," said Martinez.

If Martinez is going to continue to steer this hype train, someone should probably give him directions to Cooperstown.

Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF