By Salem Chicago News Staff
CHICAGO — Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong received all 38 first-place votes in MLB.com’s final 2026 MVP poll, putting a decisive cap on a regular-season performance that analysts now consider all but certain to earn him the National League Most Valuable Player award.
Crow-Armstrong tallied 190 total points on the 5-4-3-2-1 voting scale, running away from the field in the final survey released Monday. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani finished second with 135 points and no first-place votes.
“It’s no longer a question of whether Crow-Armstrong is the NL MVP,” the poll summary stated. “The award is as good as his right now. But will he win it in unanimous fashion?”
Historic Statistical Season
The 24-year-old is tied with Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber for the major league lead with 45 home runs. He leads all of baseball in runs scored (118), extra-base hits (83) and total bases (351). His 38 stolen bases put him within reach of the 40-40 club this week, which would make him just the seventh player in history to achieve the milestone.
In the American League, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez led the final poll with 181 points and 29 first-place votes. Alvarez holds the AL lead in batting average (.313) and OPS (1.027), and his 179 wRC+ is 27 points above any other qualified hitter.
Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero finished second in the AL with 149 points, followed by Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. (62 points), Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (60 points) and Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (40 points).
A Season-Long Ascent
For Crow-Armstrong, the final poll cements a season-long ascent. He first overtook Ohtani in the August poll after the Dodgers star was sidelined from pitching by a left knee injury. Ohtani has not pitched since July 3, limiting his two-way value that had fueled four previous MVP wins.
Beyond his offensive production, Crow-Armstrong is widely regarded as the top defensive player in the sport. His fielding metrics have led baseball at any position throughout the season.
“The rate at which it’s improved and how fast it’s improved, I don’t have any comparisons to it,” Counsell said earlier this season of Crow-Armstrong’s development. “I think it’s just a great athlete coming into his own as a great player.”
Adjusted Approach Fueled Breakout
The breakout has roots in an adjusted approach at the plate. Crow-Armstrong moved closer to the plate this season, particularly against left-handed pitching, and credited a conversation with teammate Alex Bregman for helping him think differently about his at-bats. His swing rate dropped from 60.1 percent last year to 49.8 percent this season, the largest year-to-year change among qualified hitters.
Crow-Armstrong’s walk rate jumped from 4.5 percent in 2025 to 11.8 percent, also the largest improvement in baseball.
Other NL players receiving votes included Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski and Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who tied for third with 61 points. Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber rounded out the top five with 32 points. White Sox outfielders Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami received AL votes.
The official BBWAA MVP vote will be announced after the postseason.
