The Associated Press named Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani as its Male Athlete of the Year for the third time, a feat that puts him level with NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James are the only four-time winners.

"I'm very honored," Ohtani told the AP's Beth Harris through his translator, Matt Hidaka. "Obviously all the hard work has paid off. Maybe next year, I'll get the award again.

Ohani added, "Growing up in Japan, I did follow Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. I would see their accolades and how they were successful in the United States."

The Dodgers couldn't have asked more of Ohtani after inking him to what was then a record-setting $700 million contract.

He was an MVP for the third time in four seasons after leading the National League in home runs (54), RBI (130), on-base percentage (.390), and slugging percentage (.646). He also became the first player in MLB history with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in the same season.

The 30-year-old also had some big moments during his first trip to the playoffs. He had a three-run homer in Game 1 of the NLDS and then posted a .364/.548/.636 slash line in the NLCS.

Off the field, Ohtani has boosted what was already a sizable profile for the Dodgers. Team CEO Stan Kasten told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that Ohtani "has brought new fans."

"He's changed the mix of demographics at our stadium for games," Kasten said. "We have changed some of the merchandise, changed some of the concession offerings. We have a raft of daily tours [in Japanese] we didn't have before. We have a raft of new sponsors with Japanese connections we didn't have before."

Los Angeles didn't even get to enjoy the full arsenal of Ohtani's skill set since elbow surgery precluded the right-hander from stepping onto the mound. All 159 of his appearances came as a designated hitter.

As cliché as it sounds, the thing with transcendent talents is they eventually make the extraordinary look ordinary. In Ohtani's case, he continues to find new ways to keep baseball fans riveted.