Chicago Cubs centerfielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong, is a legitimate contender for the National League 2026 Most Valuable Player.
It appears Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher/designated hitter, Shohei Ohtani provides the only real threat to Crow-Armstrong for the award.
One recent game offered a glimpse of the value of the 24-year-old, left-handed hitter, commonly called PCA.
In the Chicago Cross-Town Classic game between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox played at the Cubs Wrigley Field August 17, PCA was the star of the Cubs 7-5 victory.
PCA led off the game with a home run. Then, he homered again in the bottom of the 10th inning to win the extra-inning game for the Cubs.
sports.yahoo.com indicates Pete Crow-Armstrong is one of six major league players to hit a leadoff, and walk-off home run.
In that August 17 game, PCA went 4-for-5, with two homers, a double, a single, and three RBIs. He scored two runs.
The dynamic Cubs centerfielder left the second game of the three game White Sox series hitting .282/.381/.555/.936. 25 doubles, seven triples, 31 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases, in 38 attempts covering 483 at-bats.
About Chicago Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong:
The New York Mets drafted PCA in the 1st round of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft out of Harvard-Westlake High School, in Los Angeles, California.
The No.19 player taken in that draft, the Mets gave Pete Crow-Armstrong a $3,359,000 signing bonus.
Ironically, the Cubs were looking to draft Crow-Armstrong, but switched instead to shortstop, Ed Howard.
By the start of the 2021 season, PCA was considered a Grade 55 player by Baseball America. A Grade 55 player is a better than major league average player with at least one, and possibly two outstanding tools.
Crow- Armstrong had already exhibited a mature hitting approach for a high school player.
PCA was 6-0, 184 pounds when he was drafted. And now, in 2026, he carries the same height and weight.
PCA was viewed as making consistent contact, with a mature understanding of good hitting mechanics.
On July 30, 2021, the Mets traded PCA to the Cubs for infielder Javier Baez, and pitcher Trevor Williams.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is only in his 4th full season of Major League Baseball, all with the Cubs.
Pete-Crow Armstrong is one of the most exciting young MLB players.
PCA has been an All Star twice, in 2025, and again this season.
In his 2025 season, Crow-Armstrong hit .247/.287/.481/.768, with 37 doubles, four triples, 31 homers, 95 RBIs, and 35 stolen bases, in 43 attempts.
baseballreference.com notes he had a WAR of 5.9
They also state he currently has improved that WAR, to 7.7
A Bit Of A Dustup For Chicago Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong In Los Angeles:
All has not been milk and honey for PCA.
During the Cubs recent trip to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers, PCA and the Dodgers fans had a bit of a kerfuffle.
PCA had this to say about Dodgers fans, as reported by dodgers nation.com:
“I love Chicago more and more. It’s just an incredible city. The people are great.” He told Wayne Drehs of Chicago Magazine. “…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.”
When offered the opportunity to retract his statements, PCA stood declined.
Shohei Ohtani is Crow-Armstrong’s greatest competition for the National League MVP Award.
cbssports.com states, “Ohtani’s status as a two-way player is central to the argument that he’s the most valuable player in baseball.”
Ohtani will likely return to the mound after ramping up his throwing program.
On August 17, the same day Crow-Armstrong hit two homers for the Cubs, Ohtani hit two home runs for the Dodgers, in their 11-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Baseball fans may want to see a new face as the National League MVP.
When it comes down to it, there may be some sentiment among voters to name Chicago Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong the National League Most Valuable Player Award.