Shohei Ohtani honored by Topps, picked as card No. 1 in 2022 Series 1 Collection

Shohei Ohtani, the two-way LA Angels' superstar who had the greatest season of all time in 2021, has just been given one more prestigious honor that sets himself apart from the rest of the field.

Topps just selected his baseball card to be card No. 1 in their new 2022 Series 1 Collection. It's pretty fitting, as Ohtani was the unanimous 2021 AL MVP.

And the players who are selected for this type of honor are always as notable as they come. Willie Mays, Fernando Tatis Jr., Aaron Judge, and our own Mike Trout are some of the players selected in the past. This is great company for ShoTime to be in.

Shohei Ohtani is still constantly being praised for his GOAT season.

This is yet another acknowledgment of what Shohei Ohtani was able to do this year. And people forget that he's even more than just his talents as both a dominant hitter and pitcher. He also played the outfield for the Halos and was named the fastest baserunner in the American League by his peers.

Think about how insane the back of that baseball card must be. It would never end. You'd be impressed with the .257/.372/.592 (.965 OPS) line, but that might be the least impressive about it.

Ohtani really gave us the complete package as a hitter last year, posting over 45 home runs, over 100 runs, and 100 RBIs. The 26 stolen bases wasn't too shabby at all either, especially when you remember that he even stole home this year.

And the pitching aspect of it would be nearly as impressive. Posting a 3.18 ERA and 141 ERA+, he also had a 1.090 WHIP and fanned 10.8 batters per nine innings.

That's the type of card you may not even want to sell, ever. The type of card that you'd probably keep to yourself, just to remember getting it RIGHT after he had the greatest season in sports history.

Besides, Ohtani's likely going to continue to have major success in this league. Having the card before he continues to go on and do even greater things would prove that you were here from the start. All of us Angels fans were.