On Thursday night, the BBWAA announced that Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong unanimously secured the National League Most Valuable Player honor for 2026.
Voting for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America involves a pair of representatives from all 15 Senior Circuit chapter cities. Every elector submits a ranked list featuring ten athletes (1 through 10). First-place selections award 14 points, second yields nine, third brings eight, continuing downward until a tenth-place vote provides a single point. Because this accolade evaluates only regular-season performance, voters must turn in their selections prior to the start of the postseason.
While the final outcome appeared predictable as the schedule concluded, looking back to Opening Day makes this outcome a major surprise. Shohei Ohtani entered the campaign as the massive frontrunner to claim the trophy and held that top standing past midseason. Ultimately, physical setbacks for Ohtani coupled with an incredible performance down the stretch by PCA shifted momentum in the race.
Participating in every single 162-game contest, Crow-Armstrong posted a slash line of .280/.372/.570 (156 OPS+) alongside 31 doubles, eight triples, 45 homers, 107 runs driven in, 119 runs scored, 41 stolen bases, and a 9.8 WAR. He sat atop MLB in total bases, runs scored, home runs, and WAR, while also pacing the National League in slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+. In doing so, he turned into the seventh athlete in Major League history to record a 40-40 campaign (reaching at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single year). Additionally, he topped MLB across several advanced defensive metrics, delivering one of the most complete position-player campaigns in modern baseball history.
| Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs | 30 | 420 | |||||||||
| Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers | 26 | 2 | 2 | 264 | |||||||
| Brice Turang, Brewers | 1 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 190 | |||
| Elly De La Cruz, Reds | 10 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 173 | ||||
| Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers | 2 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 157 | ||
| Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 132 | |||
| Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 121 | ||
| Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 68 | |||||
| Alex Bregman, Cubs | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 63 | ||||
| Matt Olson, Braves | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 40 | ||
| Kyle Schwarber, Phillies | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 31 | ||||
| Chris Sale, Braves | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 22 | |||||
| Otto Lopez, Marlins | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 17 | ||||||
| CJ Abrams, Nationals | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |||||||
| Bryce Harpr, Phillies | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||||||
| James Wood, Nationals | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | |||||||
| Brandon Lowe, Pirates | 2 | 6 | |||||||||
| Ozzie Albies, Braves | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| Michael Harris II, Braves | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| Andy Pages, Dodgers | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| Jordan Walker, Cardinals | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| Sal Stewart, Reds | 4 | ||||||||||
| Jake Bauers, Brewers | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
| Alec Burleson, Cardinals | 2 | ||||||||||
| Jackson Chourio, Brewers | 2 | ||||||||||
| Ty France, Padres | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Hunter Goodman, Rockies | 1 | 1 |
PCA now adds his name to this group of Cubs franchise MVP winners:
- Kris Bryant, 2016
- Sammy Sosa, 1998
- Andre Dawson, 1987
- Ryne Sandberg, 1984
- Ernie Banks, 1958 and 1959
- Hank Sauer, 1952
- Phil Cavaretta, 1945
- Gabby Hartnett, 1935
- Hack Wilson, 1930
- Rogers Hornsby, 1929
- Frank Schulte, 1911
Finishing as runner-up was Ohtani, a four-time MVP recipient. As a hitter, Ohtani batted .275/.377/.512 while accumulating 26 doubles, four triples, 30 homers, 81 RBI, 89 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, and 3.2 WAR. Pitching from the mound, he logged an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts across 85 ⅔ innings pitched, contributing an additional 3.2 WAR.
Taking third place was Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, a player often overlooked on the national stage. Although he has yet to earn an All-Star selection, he opened 2026 competing for Team USA during the World Baseball Classic. Throughout the regular season, Turang produced a .268/.366/.450 slash line (124 OPS+) with 37 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, 100 RBI, 102 runs scored, and 7.3 WAR, while ranking among the game’s premier defensive fielders.
