LA Native Pete Crow-Armstrong Wins Unanimous MVP Over Shohei Ohtani
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Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow Armstrong, who grew up in Los Angeles, unanimously won the National League MVP award on Thursday.
The 24-year-old had an unbelievable season with the Cubs, leading MLB with 9.8 bWAR, 119 runs and 45 home runs on the year. Additionally, he stole 41 bases and led the National League with a .943 OPS.
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He played the best defense in the league all the while, posting a league-leading 26 fielding run value and outs above average.
Shohei Ohtani finished second in voting, receiving 26 second-place votes as well as two third and fourth-place votes apiece.
Why Didn’t Shohei Ohtani Win MVP?
While Ohtani had a great season in 2026, injuries held him back from being the best version of himself.
He only pitched through July 3, making 14 starts with a 1.79 ERA while striking out 95 batters in 85 innings before knee and biceps injuries took him off of the mound. His offense also stagnated following the injuries, as he ended the season with 30 homers and 81 RBIs alongside a .889 OPS.
Those numbers are far from poor, but Ohtani had an OPS north of 1.000 in each of his three previous MVP seasons, and hit at least 44 home runs in each.
Whether Crow-Armstrong would have beaten Ohtani to the award if the superstar were healthy is anyone’s guess, but he made sure to acknowledge his accomplishment over the four-time MVP after winning the vote.
“Tonight’s kind of the right time for me to appreciate who I won the award over,” Crow-Armstrong said. “That guy has been outright the best baseball player in the world for the last 10 years. …It was me vs. me every day. I would be a fool to go up there trying to dethrone somebody and whatnot, just because I wouldn’t have gotten the most out of myself if that’s how I approached it.”
Why Don’t Dodger Fans Like PCA?
Crow-Armstrong hails from Los Angeles, but his relationship with his hometown fans is rather rocky.
Prior to the 2026 season, he took a shot at Dodger fans.
“I love Chicago more and more. It’s just an incredible city. The people are great,” he said. “They give a s—. They aren’t just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures or whatever. They are paying attention. They care.”
Rather than apologizing for his comments about fans after coming under fire immediately after, Crow-Armstrong doubled down on his comments immediately after.
“All fans fight and stuff, but I remember putting the Giants fan in a coma,” he said. “That stuck with me as a kid. Just little things, sitting in the stands, nasty stuff goes on that I didn’t always experience at other ballparks.”
His comments didn’t stop there either, as he sent some more shots towards the Dodgers before their first meeting of the season in April.
“What I wish people could see through is, I’m not getting at die-hard Dodger fans,” he said to LA Times’ Maddie Lee.
“They obviously exist, they’re out there. I grew up seeing those people, too, but it’s a see-me city, man. It’s a Lakers city where people show up to sit courtside and look good. And I view it the same way here.”
The Dodgers and Cubs had a few tight matchups this season, and with Crow-Armstrong in Chicago for the foreseeable future, more memorable clashes between the two teams are sure to come.
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