Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong wins National League MVP unanimously, beating Shohei Ohtani

After a slow start to 2026, the 24-year-old slugger turned in a dominant performance in just his third full MLB season Nov 12, 2026 at 8:02 pm ET • 2 min read Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong won the National League MVP award for the 2026 season unanimously, the BBWAA revealed Thursday evening. The Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot uses two voters from each of the 15 chapters housing NL teams. Each voter submits a ballot with 10 players, ranked 1-10. A first-place vote gets a player 14 points, while second place earns nine, third place eight, etc., until a 10th-place vote earns one point. Ballots are due before the playoffs begin, as this is a regular-season award.Though the results were unsurprising by the time the year wound down, going back to the start of the season, this marks a huge upset. Shohei Ohtani was the overwhelming favorite to win the award heading into the season and maintained favorite status through the All-Star break. A combination of his injuries and PCA's monster season turned the tide late.Appearing in all 162 games, Crow-Armstrong hit .280/.372/.570 (156 OPS+) with 31 doubles, eight triples, 45 home runs, 107 RBI, 119 runs, 41 steals and 9.8 WAR. He led the majors in WAR, runs, home runs and total bases while leading the NL in slugging, OPS and OPS+. He became the seventh player in MLB history to join the 40-40 club (40 home runs and 40 steals in the same season). Further, he led the majors in multiple advanced defensive metrics, putting together one of the great all-around seasons from a position player in recent memory. Player1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10thPointsPete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs30420Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers2622264Brice Turang, Brewers1599222190Elly De La Cruz, Reds1036351173Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers27516212157Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks3636322132Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres23534613121Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies2363468Alex Bregman, Cubs12287163Matt Olson, Braves1111113140Kyle Schwarber, Phillies11113331Chris Sale, Braves1131222Otto Lopez, Marlins112617CJ Abrams, Nationals11112Bryce Harpr, Phillies111112James Wood, Nationals1229Brandon Lowe, Pirates26Ozzie Albies, Braves15Michael Harris II, Braves115Andy Pages, Dodgers15Jordan Walker, Cardinals15Sal Stewart, Reds4Jake Bauers, Brewers22Alec Burleson, Cardinals2Jackson Chourio, Brewers2Ty France, Padres11Hunter Goodman, Rockies11PCA joins the following list of Cubs to win MVP: Kris Bryant, 2016Sammy Sosa, 1998Andre Dawson, 1987Ryne Sandberg, 1984Ernie Banks, 1958 and 1959Hank Sauer, 1952Phil Cavaretta, 1945Gabby Hartnett, 1935Hack Wilson, 1930Rogers Hornsby, 1929Frank Schulte, 1911Ohtani, the four-time MVP, finishes in second. At the plate, Ohtani hit .275/.377/.512 with 26 doubles, four triples, 30 home runs, 81 RBI, 89 runs, 11 steals and 3.2 WAR. On the mound, he was 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 85 ⅔ innings with 3.2 WAR. The nationally underrated Brewers second baseman Brice Turang finishes in third. He still hasn't made an All-Star Game, though he did start 2026 as a member of Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. In the regular season, Turang hit .268/.366/.450 (124 OPS+) with 37 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, 100 RBI, 102 runs and 7.3 WAR, rating out as one of the best defenders in baseball.