Pete Crow-Armstrong becomes first Cubs unanimous NL MVP, completing a triple-award season

Pete Crow-Armstrong finished one of the most decorated seasons in Cubs history by winning the National League MVP in unanimous fashion, with 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The award settled the season-long debate after a late, visible push at Wrigley Field, where fans waved “M-V-Pete” green rally flags as Crow-Armstrong went through the final home portion of his campaign and later described being overwhelmed by the reception.

Crow-Armstrong’s bid surpassed even an elite baseline set by Shohei Ohtani, who finished second in the MVP voting. The Cubs center fielder’s season stands out not just for peak production, but for how wide the output ranged: power, baserunning, and overall value.

Offensively, he posted a 45-homer, 41-stolen-base season, delivering the Cubs’ first 40-40 campaign in franchise history and one of only a handful in MLB history at the 40-40 level. He also produced a.280 batting average with a.372 on-base percentage, while leading the NL in slugging (.570) and OPS (.942).

His overall value was similarly striking. The article cited a 10.6 WAR total as MLB-leading (per FanGraphs), with the margin between No. 1 and the next-best player in baseball described as a gap of at least 3.0 that had not been reached since 1956.

Defense and team impact completed the picture. Crow-Armstrong helped anchor the Cubs’ NL Team Gold Glove Award, and the report credited him with an MLB-best fielding run value (+26) tied to top outfielder marks under Statcast benchmarks. He also earned the NL Platinum Glove and, separately, the Hank Aaron Award in addition to the MVP.

By tying together the Cubs’ best recent single-season production with defense and baserunning, Crow-Armstrong’s MVP became the centerpiece of a “trifecta” season, according to the team’s own baseball operations leadership, culminating in the BBWAA delivering the unanimous vote.