The National League MVP race is turning into a real duel, and the players around the league are leaning hard toward the challenger.
According to a recent ESPN poll of 21 players, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong got 15 votes, while Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani received four. Two players couldn’t decide. If that split held, Ohtani would miss out on the MVP for the first time since 2022.
Crow-Armstrong has built a strong case on both sides of the ball. Through 128 games, he has 31 home runs, 79 RBIs, 31 stolen bases and a .279/.378/.550 slash line. He also carries the reputation of being the game’s best defensive center fielder, using his speed to run down balls that don’t look catchable and his arm to keep runners from taking extra bases.
“One plays elite defense. The other doesn't play the field,” Athletics pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. told ESPN.
“If you take Ohtani out of the rotation, they don't miss a beat. And if you take him out of the lineup, I still don't think they miss a beat.”
Ohtani’s numbers are still right there. He has 30 home runs, 80 RBIs and is batting .291/.388/.554.
But his running game has taken a hit this season, with just seven stolen bases after he swiped 59 in 2024, two years removed from that 59-steal season in 2024. His workload as a starting pitcher, along with a lingering knee injury, has played a part in that.
He also hasn’t pitched since July 3 because of the knee issue and biceps discomfort. When healthy, though, Ohtani has been dominant on the mound, posting a career-low 1.79 ERA and a 3.0 wins above replacement rating. The Dodgers haven’t said exactly when he’ll return to pitching, though early September is a possibility.
That uncertainty matters in the voting. “If Ohtani starts pitching again and goes five to seven innings a start down the stretch, the conversation looks different. If he doesn't pitch again in a real starter's role, then I'd vote for PCA still,” Cincinnati Reds pitcher Emilio Pagan said.
Crow-Armstrong’s support goes beyond one vote total, too. Cleveland Guardians pitcher Colin Holderman said, “I know it's tough.
I know what type of person and player PCA is. It's hard to replicate what he does on the field just like it's hard to replicate what Ohtani does with the Dodgers hitting and pitching.
I want to see PCA win it. Just something different.
Maybe shared MVP.”
Oddsmakers currently have Crow-Armstrong as the slight favorite, giving the 24-year-old an implied 60.8% chance to win the award compared with 44.4% for Ohtani.
As Cleveland Guardians first baseman Rhys Hoskins put it, “How cool for the sport that somebody is playing out of their mind so we get to have this conversation. The reality is we get to watch maybe the best player to ever play this game in Shohei. So to have somebody that is stepping up to him this year, making a race out of it, is pretty frickin' cool.”
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