PCA for MVP? Cubs Sensation Crow-Armstrong Hits Historic Heights
Crow-Armstrong has 7.5 WAR and 27 homers, and Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs both place him behind only Shohei Ohtani.
- With 75% of the season elapsed, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is having an MVP-caliber year, fueling the team's resurgence in the National League Central race.
- Crow-Armstrong, 24, is successfully avoiding the second-half swoon that derailed his 2025 breakout season through a refined plate approach that nearly tripled his walk rate to 12.1% this year.
- Leading the major leagues with 22 outs above average, the outfielder totals 27 home runs and is hitting.361 with runners in scoring position.
- Teammate Alex Bregman, an AL MVP runner-up in 2019, said "He's got so much energy," as Crow-Armstrong's play helped the Cubs move within three games of first-place Milwaukee Brewers.
- The National League MVP race shapes as a two-man competition between Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani, with Baseball-Reference data showing Crow-Armstrong holding a 7.5 to 6.4 WAR lead.
30 Articles
30 Articles
Omaha World-Herald
PCA for MVP? Cubs sensation Crow-Armstrong hits historic heights
Pete Crow-Armstrong is staging a remarkable 2026 season for the Chicago Cubs, overcoming last year’s slump with improved plate discipline and outstanding defense, positioning himself as a leading NL MVP candidate alongside Shohei Ohtani.
LA Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani has increased the likelihood of his return to pitching by starting long toss training. With a return to the mound in September appearing likely, he is expected to regain the lead in the National League MVP race by resuming his two-way role, and the team is carefully reviewing his pitch count in preparation for the postseason.
Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong deserves MVP over Shohei Ohtani, per analyst
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has seemingly turned the corner in his development and is now a full-fledged elite-level ball player. More News: How Chicago Cubs coaching brought life to two veteran arms The talent was always there, of course, but there were just some general rough patches and maturity issues that kept the young star from becoming fully actualized. Now, however, the 24-year-old appears to have become the force he…
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Slump Hides Major Cubs Breakthrough
Pete Crow-Armstrong has hit a rough patch recently, but the Chicago Cubs have plenty of reason to believe the young outfielder’s impressive development is still intact. Crow-Armstrong’s recent numbers have dipped sharply. Over his last six games, he has hit just .154/.290/.346 and has struck out nearly 39% of the time. Those figures are certainly a concern in the short term, but they don’t erase the significant progress he has made throughout th…
Shohei Ohtani is steadily preparing for his return to pitching. On this day, he played catch with a standing catcher on the flat part of the field. Afterwards, he moved to the bullpen and checked his pitching form on the mound. He didn't actually throw a ball from the mound, but it is seen as preparation for full bullpen pitching. Manager Roberts also explained that Ohtani has been continuing to play catch and may move on to bullpen pitching soo…
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