Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is having a great year, but his efforts might not be enough to secure another MVP award.
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has four Most Valuable Player awards in his career, all of which he has earned unanimously. However, his chances of earning the accolade once more may be at risk.
For as good a season as Ohtani is having, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is making his case for his first MVP, a direct threat to Ohtani, given that both play in the National League.
Making the case
Crow-Armstrong’s 2026 season has been one to remember. The 24-year-old has already surpassed 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, and he has posted a .282 batting average, a .381 on-base percentage, a .555 slugging percentage and a .935 OPS.
Ohtani’s slash line is even better. Through 117 games played, he has a .294 batting average, a .390 on-base percentage, a .558 slugging percentage and a .949 OPS.
Ohtani only has seven stolen bases, but he has also racked up 30 home runs this year. The obstacle the 31-year-old is running into is that he has not pitched since early July due to discomfort in his left knee.
Before dealing with his knee issue, Ohtani was a dominant force on the mound, posting an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts across 14 starts. But for more than a month, he has been compelled to have only a bat in his hands.
Armstrong has been able to contribute at a high level on the defensive end, and that might make a key difference in who is named the 2026 National League MVP.
So, what do the players say?
Different opinions
In a recent piece by ESPN MLB writer Jesse Rogers, he included the thoughts of over 20 players from around Major League Baseball to gauge where they stand on the MVP race between Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong.
In the minds of some, if Ohtani was still pitching, then it would be his award to lose. Others, like Chicago White Sox pitcher Trevor Richards and Athletics pitcher Mark Leiter Jr., believe Crow-Armstrong is deserving of the honor.
In fact, Leiter Jr. went as far as to say that the Dodgers would not miss a beat if Ohtani was left out of not only the starting rotation, but the lineup. It is a hyperbolic statement, but Leiter Jr. is free to form his own opinion.
Meanwhile, Richards’ teammates, Sean Burke and Drew Romo, believe it should be Ohtani, not just for what he is doing, but what he has done. Burke expressed that Ohtani’s elite-level production on the mound before he got hurt and what he does at the plate is worthy of his vote.
Romo looks at the bigger picture of Ohtani’s body of work through the years, and he believes that Ohtani is the greatest player, even though he acknowledged that the MVP is given to the player most deserving of it in a specific season.
All told, it will be fun to see how things play out between two of baseball’s biggest stars.
