THE APEX TIMES
After a banner year marked by a rare blend of power, speed, plate-discipline gains, and elite defense, Chicago’s center fielder was named one of three finalists for the 2026 National League MVP.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s historic 2026 season has earned him a spot among the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s top vote-getters for National League MVP. The Chicago Cubs center fielder was announced as a finalist on the heels of a year the MLB release described as one of the best singular seasons in Cubs history.
Crow-Armarmstrong joined Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers as the three NL MVP finalists. MLB said the MVP winner will be revealed at 6 p.m. CT on Nov. 12 on MLB Network.
In the vote-getter race, the release framed Crow-Armstrong’s season as separating itself from the rest of the field. It reported that he led Major League Baseball with 10.6 fWAR (FanGraphs), while Bobby Witt Jr. finished second at 7.0 fWAR, a gap of at least 3.0 fWAR between the top two that the release said had not happened since 1954.
The statistical resume described in the team release combined major offensive production with baserunning. Crow-Armstrong finished tied with Kyle Schwarber for an MLB-leading 45 home runs and added 41 stolen bases, reported as the most in the NL and third overall in the majors.
The release also highlighted a major plate-discipline swing and an advanced defensive profile. It said Crow-Armstrong walked 83 times in 726 plate appearances, with his walk rate rising to 11.4% in 2026, and it credited him with a +26 fielding run value that it described as an outfielder Statcast-era record for one season.