Pete Crow-Armstrong was unanimously named the National League’s Most Valuable Player on Thursday after the Chicago Cubs center fielder produced a spectacular overall season.
Crow-Armstrong joined Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez as the first MVP winners. Alvarez was the unanimous winner of the American League after making a successful run to the Triple Crown, hitting a career-best .316 with 42 home runs and 106 RBIs for the AL West champions.
Crow-Armstrong set career highs by hitting .280 with 45 home runs, 107 RBIs and 41 stolen bases in 162 games. He tied Kyle Schwarber for the major league lead in home runs and led the NL in runs (119), slugging percentage (.570) and OPS (.942).
He was also one of the best defensive players in the majors. The Southern California native won his second Gold Glove and led the majors with 26 strikeouts above average and 23 runs prevented, according to Baseball Savant.
“You spend your whole life in baseball and you just don’t see that happen on a baseball field,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after Crow-Armstrong hit two home runs in an 8-4 win over Atlanta on September 16. “You’re grateful to be a part of it. You’re grateful to see things like this and then you’re grateful that the fans get to see a season like this.”
Alvarez led the majors in batting average and finished tied for second in the AL in home runs and second in RBIs, behind Pete Alonso’s 43 homers and 113 RBIs for Baltimore.
Alvarez was Houston’s primary designated hitter, but his offensive genius was enough to overcome his limited defensive contributions. The four-time All-Star also led the majors in walks (109), on-base percentage (.432) and slugging percentage (.601).
Alvarez, 29, became Houston’s first AL MVP since José Altuve in 2017. He received all 30 first-place votes in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America poll. Tampa Bay third baseman Junior Caminero, who hit .276 with 42 home runs and 101 RBIs, finished second, receiving 27 of 30 second-place votes. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. finished third.
Alvarez made his major league debut with Houston in 2019, hitting .313 with 27 homers and 78 RBIs in just 87 games to win the AL Rookie of the Year award.
He was the ALCS MVP in 2021 and helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series. He is a career .300 hitter with 212 home runs and 599 RBIs in eight major league seasons.
Crow-Armstrong, 24, who agreed to a six-year, $115 million contract in March, is the Cubs’ first NL MVP since Kris Bryant in 2016.
Crow-Armstrong was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2020 amateur draft before being traded to Chicago in the Javier Báez deal in July 2021.
He had a breakout season in 2025, helping the Cubs advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. He hit .247 with 31 home runs, 95 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in 157 games.
Crow-Armstrong made significant progress at the plate in his fourth season, particularly against left-handed pitchers. He hit .280 against lefties in 2026 after hitting just .188 against them the year before.
“I would say what’s helped make me a consistent quality at-bat and all that is just knowing the strike zone better,” Crow-Armstrong said before the postseason. “I definitely missed fewer throws in the zone, in the heart of the zone, than I should be making this year.”
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