Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been named the unanimous winner of the 2026 National League Most Valuable Player award, as revealed by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Thursday evening.
Stunning Upset Over Shohei Ohtani
While the final outcome appeared clear in the closing weeks of the campaign, Crow-Armstrong’s victory marks a major shift from pre-season expectations. Four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani entered the year as the clear favorite and held that status through the All-Star break, but a late-season combination of injuries to Ohtani and a dominant run by Crow-Armstrong swung the vote.
Crow-Armstrong appeared in all 162 games for Chicago, putting together a historic season at the plate and in the field. He posted a .280/.372/.570 slash line (156 OPS+) with 31 doubles, eight triples, 45 home runs, 107 RBIs, 119 runs, 41 stolen bases, and 9.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR). As CBS Sports reported, he led Major League Baseball in WAR, runs, home runs, and total bases, while also topping the National League in slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+.
His campaign made him just the seventh player in Major League Baseball history to join the 40-40 club by recording at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season. Beyond his offensive output, Crow-Armstrong topped the majors across several advanced defensive metrics.
With the award, Crow-Armstrong joins an elite list of Cubs to win the MVP honor, following Kris Bryant (2016), Sammy Sosa (1998), Andre Dawson (1987), Ryne Sandberg (1984), Ernie Banks (1958 and 1959), Hank Sauer (1952), Phil Cavaretta (1945), Gabby Hartnett (1935), Hack Wilson (1930), Rogers Hornsby (1929), and Frank Schulte (1911).
Voting Details and Top Finishers
The BBWAA voting panel features two writers from each of the 15 chapters representing National League markets. Each member submits a ballot ranking 10 players, awarding 14 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third, decreasing down to one point for tenth place. Ballots are submitted before the start of the postseason, as the honor is strictly a regular-season award.
Ohtani placed second in the voting after delivering strong two-way production. As a hitter, he batted .275/.377/.512 with 26 doubles, four triples, 30 home runs, 81 RBIs, 89 runs, 11 steals, and 3.2 WAR. On the mound, he posted an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts over 85 2/3 innings, earning an additional 3.2 WAR.
Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang finished third in the voting. Although Turang has not yet been selected to an All-Star Game, he began 2026 playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Over the regular season, Turang hit .268/.366/.450 (124 OPS+) with 37 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, 100 RBIs, 102 runs, and 7.3 WAR while establishing himself among the top defenders in the sport.
