Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 2026 season ended with the kind of recognition that matches the numbers: a unanimous National League MVP award.
The BBWAA announced Thursday evening that the Cubs center fielder took the honor with every first-place vote, finishing ahead of Shohei Ohtani. Crow-Armstrong’s win had felt inevitable by the time the season closed, but the path to that result was anything but ordinary. Ohtani entered the year as the clear favorite and held that spot through the All-Star break, until injuries opened the door and PCA slammed it shut with a monster finish.
Crow-Armstrong played all 162 games and put together a line that looked like it belonged in a video game: .280/.372/.570 with a 156 OPS+, 31 doubles, eight triples, 45 home runs, 107 RBI, 119 runs, 41 steals and 9.8 WAR. He led the majors in WAR, runs, home runs and total bases, and topped the National League in slugging, OPS and OPS+. He also became the seventh player in MLB history to reach the 40-40 club, and his defensive metrics placed him among the best in the sport on that side of the ball as well.
The voting breakdown reflected just how far Crow-Armstrong separated himself. He received all 30 first-place votes for 420 points.
Ohtani finished second with 264 points, followed by Brewers second baseman Brice Turang at 190. Elly De La Cruz came in fourth with 173 points, and Jacob Misiorowski was fifth with 157.
Crow-Armstrong now joins a short list of Cubs who have won MVP: Kris Bryant in 2016, Sammy Sosa in 1998, Andre Dawson in 1987, Ryne Sandberg in 1984, Ernie Banks in 1958 and 1959, Hank Sauer in 1952, Phil Cavaretta in 1945, Gabby Hartnett in 1935, Hack Wilson in 1930, Rogers Hornsby in 1929 and Frank Schulte in 1911.
Ohtani, a four-time MVP, settled for second after another strong season at the plate and on the mound. He hit .275/.377/.512 with 26 doubles, four triples, 30 home runs, 81 RBI, 89 runs, 11 steals and 3.2 WAR as a hitter. On the mound, he went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 85 ⅔ innings, worth another 3.2 WAR.
Turang’s third-place finish gave the Brewers another player near the top of the ballot. He still has not made an All-Star Game, though he opened 2026 as part of Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. In the regular season, he hit .268/.366/.450 with a 124 OPS+, 37 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, 100 RBI, 102 runs and 7.3 WAR, and he graded out as one of baseball’s best defenders.
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