Elite defense and historic metrics propel Chicago’s breakout star past a sidelined Shohei Ohtani as the National League race enters a high-stakes final sprint for the hardware.
One of the bigger talking points over the final few weeks of the regular season will be the National League MVP.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani are neck and neck in the NL MVP race. Both players have very similar offensive numbers, but Crow-Armstrong’s defense and Ohtani’s pitching are the two differences that separate the two stars.
Crow-Armstrong is slashing .278/.376/.554 with 33 home runs, 26 doubles, seven triples, 83 RBI, and 32 stolen bases across 132 games. Ohtani is slashing .288/.389/.545 with 30 home runs, 24 doubles, three triples, 80 RBI, and nine stolen bases in 121 games.
Those offensive numbers don’t tell the whole story, though.
Crow-Armstrong has been the best defender in baseball this season. His Fielding Run Value (24), Outs Above Average (23), Runs Prevented (20), Success Rate (96%), five-star catches (eight), and four-star catches (11) all rank first among all defenders.
His offensive numbers, combined with his elite defensive metrics, have made Crow-Armstrong the most valuable player. His 7.9 WAR on ESPN and 8.6 WAR on FanGraphs are both the best in baseball.
There’s obviously an argument for Ohtani to come away with his fourth straight NL MVP award. He's been his usual elite self at the plate while also being one of baseball's best pitchers when healthy. The Japanese superstar has a 1.79 ERA, 0.946 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts across 85 ⅔ innings pitched.
However, a left knee injury has put his pitching on hold for the moment. Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 after experiencing some knee irritation in early July. Being unable to pitch for the last seven weeks has allowed Crow-Armstrong to overtake him as the favorite for the MVP. The Cubs center fielder is -190 on DraftKings to win this award, with Ohtani coming in at +155.
In MLB.com’s latest MVP poll, they believe that Crow-Armstrong is the favorite to win this prestigious award as well. Of a panel of 37 MLB experts, 29 of them voted for the 24-year-old to take home the hardware. The other eight experts voted for Ohtani.
Crow-Armstrong has seemingly overtaken Ohtani as the favorite for the NL MVP. He has been one of the best hitters in baseball throughout 2026 and is in striking distance of a 40-home-run, 40-stolen-base season.
With about a month to go in the regular season, Crow-Armstrong is in the driver’s seat to earn the first MVP of his young career.
