The Cubs center fielder surged ahead in the MVP race, shattering hitting records and nearing a historic 40-40 season after delivering an unprecedented string of multi-hit power performances.
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is having a historic season.
Although Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani were neck and neck in the National League MVP race for most of the summer, the Cubs superstar has pulled away in that race. His recent offensive numbers, combined with Ohtani’s latest injury, have made him the easy favorite to win his first career MVP.
It really is impressive what Crow-Armstrong has done this season. It always feels like he’s breaking some type of MLB record or Cubs record almost every night.
Back on September 6, Crow-Armstrong etched his name into Cubs history after launching his 40th home run of the year against the Miami Marlins. He became the second left-handed Cubs hitter to hit 40+ home runs in a season (Billy Williams, 1970), and became the second Cubs hitter to hit 40+ home runs in their age-24 season or younger (Ernie Banks, 1955).
A little over a week later, Crow-Armstrong has now done something that no one in MLB history has done. He became the first player in MLB history to have seven games with 4+ hits, multiple extra-base hits, and a home run in a single season in the modern era.
This record came on the heels of another spectacular offensive performance from Crow-Armstrong. In Monday’s 7-3 win over the Atlanta Braves, the 24-year-old went 4-for-5 at the plate with one home run, one double, one run scored, one stolen base, and four RBI.
Crow-Armstrong continues to inch closer to a 40-40 campaign. He has already surpassed the 40 home run mark and is just three stolen bases away from joining that exclusive club. The Cubs outfielder would become the seventh player in MLB history to have a 40-40 season, joining Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Alfonso Soriano (2006), Ronald Acuna Jr. (2023), and Ohtani (2024).
With less than two weeks until the end of the regular season, Crow-Armstrong still has a prime opportunity to join that impressive group. The Cubs have 11 games remaining on their schedule, and the speedy outfielder has been stealing more over the past week. He has four stolen bases over his last seven contests.
Crow-Armstrong is almost a lock at this point to win that coveted National League MVP. He’s batting .281 with 42 home runs, 102 RBI, and 37 stolen bases across 151 games this season while continuing to play elite defense in center field. The Cubs center fielder is also close to having a 10 WAR season. Right now, he currently has a 9.8 WAR on FanGraphs.
Crow-Armstrong is having a historic 2026 campaign and one of the best seasons by a Cubs player in franchise history.
