Shohei Ohtani tends to enter each MLB season as the clear favorite for his league’s Most Valuable Player award. It usually takes an extraordinary year from someone else to change that.
Ohtani’s 2024 season was historic: he became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one year, then won the MVP. In 2025, he hit 55 homers, stole 20 bases and scored 146 runs. He also returned to the mound, posting a 2.87 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 47 innings. The result was another unanimous MVP win.
This time, though, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong put together the kind of season that could break through. Known as PCA, he arrived in Chicago as a highly regarded Mets prospect and had a respectable 2024 in a part-time role. The following year, he showed off his power and speed, hitting 31 homers and stealing 35 bases. But strikeouts and a low walk rate held back his overall production.
That changed in 2026. Crow-Armstrong began the season slowly, then surged as the weather warmed. His walk rate climbed from 4.5% the year before to 11.4%. His bat speed also improved, from 72.7 mph to 75.1 mph, while his average exit velocity rose by more than a mile per hour to 90.6. He hit the ball hard 48.6% of the time.
The results were hard to miss. Crow-Armstrong finished with 45 home runs, 41 stolen bases, a .280 average, a .372 on-base percentage and a .570 slugging percentage. His offense was 57% above league average, and his defense remained a major strength. At center field, one of baseball’s most demanding positions, he saved 23 more runs than an average player at the position, according to FanGraphs.
All told, Crow-Armstrong was worth 10.6 wins. That’s an exceptional season, and on Thursday night he was unanimously named National League MVP, ending Ohtani’s three-year run as the award’s winner.
It was a deserved honor. Crow-Armstrong gave the Cubs elite production on both sides of the ball at a premium position, and he remains under team control at a relatively low cost. That combination is difficult to find.
In the American League, Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez also received unanimous recognition, winning his first MVP award. He has been one of baseball’s best hitters for years, producing at a rate 66% above league average over his career.
After an injury-disrupted 2025, Alvarez returned as a formidable presence in 2026. His weighted runs created plus was 181, with 100 representing league average. He may even have been unlucky to finish with the numbers he did, given how well he struck the ball.
Alvarez drew 142 walks, including intentional walks, against 120 strikeouts. His 33 intentional walks led the majors by more than twofold—a fairly striking measure of how reluctant opponents were to pitch to him.
He hit 42 home runs and posted a .316/.432/.601 batting line in a season when offense was down across the league. His production was worth 60 runs to Houston, and his 1.033 OPS was the best in baseball.
Some of his underlying numbers were even better. Alvarez’s .429 weighted on-base average was already the league’s top mark, but his expected wOBA was higher still, at .442. His expected slugging percentage reached .636, suggesting that strong defense or simple bad luck may have cost him some extra-base hits.
There was little debate over either winner. Alvarez earned the award despite making no defensive contribution, while Crow-Armstrong prevailed in a league that includes Ohtani. Both were unanimous choices, an unusually clear result for two MVP races.
Based on their recent performances, Alvarez and Crow-Armstrong could be near the top of the 2027 MVP conversation as well—assuming there is a season.
