Ohtani named player of year in MLB

Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels was selected major league player of the year by Baseball Digest and eBay.

Max Scherzer was voted pitcher of the year and Josh Hader was picked as the top reliever in awards announced Thursday.

Ohtani got 16 first-place votes cast by a 19-member panel of baseball writers and broadcasters that included former players, managers and executives.

At the plate, Ohtani hit 46 home runs — third-most in the majors — and had 100 RBIs while compiling a .965 OPS that ranked fifth. He scored 103 runs, stole 25 bases and tied for the bigleague lead with 8 triples. On the mound, the righthander from Japan went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 23 starts.

Mariners

Coming off the team’s first 90-win season since 2003, Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Thursday the Mariners will spend this offseason trying to build on their unexpected playoff push. The free-agent market and the uncertainty around the collective bargaining agreement will determine how dramatic the spending is. But Dipoto said ownership has provided assurances he can be aggressive in improving the club. The Mariners nearly ended their 20- year playoff drought and were in the AL wild-card race until the final day of the season.

Elsewhere

A 1911 “Shoeless” Joe Jackson autographed photograph by Frank W. Smith sold for $1.47 million, the most paid for a signed sports photograph. The photo was offered by Christie’s and Hunt Auctions in New York in the auction Extra Innings: A Private Collection of Important Baseball Memorabilia. The 246- lot auction also featured a Babe Ruth professional model baseball bat with eight home run notches that sold for $1.05 million, a 1925 Lou Gehrig autographed rookie exhibit postcard that went for $ 687,500 and a 1952 Joe DiMaggio autographed handwritten letter to Marilyn Monroe that fetched $525,000.