Pete Crow-Armstrong’s MVP chances take a hit after update on Shohei Ohtani

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s chances of winning the MVP award have taken a setback after it was reported that Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar, is set to return to pitching in September. Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs center fielder, has been the best player in baseball so far in 2026, surpassing Ohtani even though the latter has been exceptional on the mound earlier this season.

Crow-Armstrong's versatility as both a batter and a defender has been invaluable to his team. Playing in all 124 games of the Chicago season, he has posted a .277/.375/.530 batting line, with a .905 OPS, 27 home runs, and 73 RBIs. His prowess in the diamond lies in his ability to steal bases, where he has managed to do so 30 times out of 37 attempts.

According to some metrics, Crow-Armstrong's defensive season is among the best ever witnessed. For every 1,055 ⅔ innings he has played, he has managed 22 outs above average and 24 fielding run value. Such figures are significantly higher than the next best, Ceddanne Rafaela from the Boston Red Sox. Thus, Crow-Armstrong seems to be as good as any recent MVP candidate.

However, he faces a tough challenge as he must outperform the best pitcher of the 2020s, Ohtani. At this point, Ohtani has been the superior hitter with an .931 OPS compared to Crow-Armstrong's .905 OPS. This fact makes the MVP race very intriguing since the final decision will hinge on which player provides more value – Ohtani's 17 or 18 starts or Crow-Armstrong's 30 outs above average defense in center field and approximately 40 stolen bases. The latter still has about 40 games left, and things can, and will, change.