By Field Level Media
Nov 13 (Field Level Media) – Houston Astros designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez and Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong were unanimously selected as the American and National League Most Valuable Players, Major League Baseball revealed Thursday.
Alvarez challenged for the Triple Crown in the American League with 42 home runs and 106 RBIs and claimed the batting title with a .316 average. He was second in home runs and runs batted in while leading the league in several offensive categories: total bases (341), walks (109), extra-base hits (77), on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.601) and OPS (1.033).
Numbers backed up the historic nature of the 2026 season for Alvarez.
Alvarez joined Aaron Judge in 2025 and Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and 2013 as the only players since 1970 to win an AL batting title with at least 40 home runs.
“I just wanted a chance,” Alvarez said of his lifelong ambitions, according to MLB.com. “I wanted a chance to play professional baseball years ago. Winning the MVP, winning the World Series, none of this was in my mind. So to be here now … look at me now.”
Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays was second and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals finished third in AL MVP balloting. AL Cy Young Award winner Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees was close behind in fourth, with one second-place nod. Caminero netted 27 of the 30 second-place votes.
Crow-Armstrong led the majors with 119 runs, shared the major league lead with 45 home runs with Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and had 41 stolen bases to become the seventh player in history to turn in a 40-40 season.
His Platinum Glove defense was difficult to quantify, even with advanced metrics that point to him saving the Cubs between 26 and 32 runs with a wins above replacement (WAR) of 10.6, per FanGraphs.
By midsummer at Wrigley Field, Crow-Armstrong was already being showered with the MVP chorus. He had 14 home runs, scored 29 runs and delivered 28 RBIs in August to push the Cubs closer to an NL wild-card spot.
“I’m just blessed to have the ability that I do,” Crow-Armstrong said, according to ESPN. “It brings me joy to be able to affect the game a lot of times on a daily basis. … I’m feeling lucky I was able to impact the game as much as I did this year.”
Crow-Armstrong is the ninth member of the Cubs selected MVP and first since third baseman Kris Bryant in 2016.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was named NL MVP each of the last two seasons (and AL MVP in 2023). He finished second this time around, with 26 of the 30 second-place votes.
While Ohtani battled knee and biceps injuries, he still posted MVP-caliber numbers and returned to the mound as a starter before the collection of physical ailments caused the Dodgers to reconsider.
He was 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings over 14 starts. Ohtani also hit a team-leading 30 home runs, totaled 60 extra-base hits and scored 89 runs in 139 games.
(–Field Level Media)
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