[Official] No first-place votes despite '8 wins + 30 home runs,' Pete Crow-Armstrong claims NL 'unanimous MVP'... Alvarez tops AL

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The era of Shohei Ohtani (32, Los Angeles Dodgers) dominance has come to an end. Pete Crow-Armstrong (24, Chicago Cubs) surpassed Ohtani, who excelled as a two-way player, to emerge as the top star in Major League Baseball (MLB) National League (NL).

The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) announced on the 13th (Korean time) that Crow-Armstrong was awarded the 2026 season National League MVP.

In the American League (AL), Jordan Alvarez (29, Houston Astros) claimed the MVP. Ohtani, who dealt with injuries, received only second-place votes, totaling 26 votes and 264 points to finish in second place.

Both swept all first-place votes to become unanimous MVPs. It is the third time in history that MVPs from both leagues were selected unanimously, following 2023 (Ronald Acuna Jr.-Ohtani) and 2024 (Ohtani-Aaron Judge).

In particular, it carries significant meaning that Crow-Armstrong defeated Ohtani, who had won the MVP four times in the last five seasons and three years in a row. This season, Ohtani pitched in 14 games, covering 85⅔ innings with an 8-2 record and an ERA of 1.79. As a batter, he posted a .275 batting average (144 hits in 523 at-bats), 30 home runs, 81 RBIs, 89 runs, a .377 on-base percentage, a .512 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 0.889.

While this two-way achievement is something only Ohtani can accomplish in modern baseball, its impact was lacking compared to previous seasons, and Crow-Armstrong's presence stood out accordingly.

Crow-Armstrong played in all 162 games this season without missing a single one, recording a .280 batting average (175 hits in 626 at-bats), 45 home runs, 107 RBIs, 119 runs, and 41 stolen bases, along with a .372 on-base percentage, a .570 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 0.942.

He tied Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies) for the National League home run title and became the seventh player in MLB history—and the first since Ohtani in 2024—to join the 40-40 club (40 home runs, 40 stolen bases).

Adding elite defense to his offensive prowess, he posted a Wins Above Replacement (fWAR, based on FanGraphs) of 10.6, showing a significant gap over third-place Alvarez (6.8) and proving he had no rivals.

With a Fielding Run Value of +26, the highest in all of MLB, he led the Cubs to the NL team Gold Glove award. This figure, along with an Outs Above Average (OAA) of +26, also ties the single-season record for outfielders (set by Byron Buxton in 2017).

Crow-Armstrong secured the Platinum Glove alongside his second Gold Glove and added a unanimous MVP to his NL Hank Aaron Award.

Alvarez also posted dominant numbers in the AL. In 158 games, he recorded a .316 batting average (179 hits in 567 at-bats), 42 home runs, 106 RBIs, a .432 on-base percentage, a .601 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 1.033. Ranking first in all of MLB in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, he became the fourth player since the 21st century to sweep all three categories simultaneously.

His record of 33 intentional walks this season, a Houston franchise record, illustrates just how difficult a batter he is. It was the second-highest number of intentional walks in AL history, behind Judge (New York Yankees) with 36.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original