(104.3 The Score) The Wrigley Field chants that shifted from "P-C-A" to "M-V-P” over the course of the summer have come to fruition.
On Thursday evening, Cubs star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was named the unanimous National League Most Valuable Player winner. Crow-Armstrong became the 12th player in Cubs history to win the MVP award and 13th overall winner in franchise history, as the great Ernie Banks was a two-time MVP winner (1958 and 1959). Crow-Armstrong is the Cubs' first MVP since Kris Bryant won the award in 2016.
The 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong hit .280 with 45 homers runs, 107 RBIs, 119 runs, 41 stolen bases and a .943 OPS in 162 games. In his sensational season, he became the seventh player in MLB history to join the 40-40 club.
Crow-Armstrong posted an MLB-best 10.6 wins above replacement mark, according to Fangraphs. That was 3.6 more than the second-place finisher and ranked as the second-highest WAR figure in Cubs history for a single season. Beyond his exploits at the plate and speed on the basepaths, Crow-Armstrong was also the best defensive player in the game.
“It’s been with grace, with incredible baseball excellence within the team context,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said in late September of Crow-Armstrong’s marvelous season. “It’s not as easy as he made it look. It’s special, and we’re lucky to have seen it.”
Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who won the AL MVP award in 2023 and the NL MVP award in 2024 and 2025, finished second to Crow-Armstrong. Brewers second baseman Brice Turang was third in the voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
The Cubs acquired Crow-Armstrong, then a prized prospect, in a midseason trade with the Mets in 2021 that sent shortstop Javier Baez and right-hander Trevor Williams to New York. Both Baez and Williams made minimal contributions in short stints with the Mets.
Crow-Armstrong broke into the majors late in 2023, and 2026 marked his third full season in the big leagues.
The Cubs signed Crow-Armstrong to a six-year, $115-million contract extension in March, at the start of an MVP campaign. He’s under contract through the 2032 season.
As his terrific 2026 season played out, Crow-Armstrong made a point to keep perspective.
“I would be crazy to say that I don't want to win an MVP, but if we're talking about having priorities straight, I think mine are pretty straight," Crow-Armstrong said back on Aug. 5 as his candidacy for the award strengthened. "It's not on the forefront of my mind.”
Perhaps it wasn’t then, but Crow-Armstrong was at the forefront of the baseball world Thursday evening.
Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.
