Pete Crow-Armstrong may have the National League MVP race in hand, but Elly De La Cruz has forced his way into the picture anyway.
That much is clear from a recent MLB.com poll, which showed the Cincinnati Reds shortstop drawing enough support to put him in a tie with Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski among 38 contributors. De La Cruz is still viewed as a long shot to catch Crow-Armstrong or Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani, but the poll suggests he could finish third in the NL MVP voting.
The case for Misiorowski is built on dominance. He has posted a 1.89 ERA in just under 170 innings, struck out 247 batters and owns a league-best 0.803 WHIP. Those numbers make him the clear favorite for the NL Cy Young Award, and the argument against him in the MVP race is simple: pitchers already have their own award.
That debate is nothing new. Clayton Kershaw was the last pitcher to win the NL MVP, doing it in 2014 after going 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 239 strikeouts. Before that, Bob Gibson’s 1968 win was the previous time a pitcher took home the honor.
De La Cruz has built his own case with a career year, even with a midseason injury costing him time. He has already set personal bests in home runs with 28, batting average at .285, on-base percentage at .366, slugging percentage at .515, OPS at .881 and wRC+ at 139. With a strong finish, he could top his 2024 run total of 102 and end up with 30 homers and 30 stolen bases.
He also brings value with the glove. De La Cruz owns 7 outs above average this season, and his 6.3 fWAR is right there with Misiorowski’s 6.5.
Neither player is expected to get first-place MVP votes, but the poll shows the NL Central could still leave a mark on the award conversation. The final answer won’t come for another two months, but De La Cruz has at least made the race worth watching.
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