Pete Crow-Armstrong is officially the favorite to win the National League MVP award, a massive shift after his late-game heroics on Monday night completely flipped the script. Seriously, for the first time all season, he’s surpassed Shohei Ohtani, who everyone thought was just gonna run away with this thing.
Crow-Armstrong didn’t just have a good game, he had an *MVP moment* in a Crosstown showdown against the White Sox. The guy went 4-5 at the plate, blasted two homers, and drove in three RBIs. But the real jaw-dropper? With the game tied in the bottom of the 10th inning, PCA absolutely clobbered a walk-off home run that sailed right over the right-field ivy at Wrigley Field. You know that place went absolutely nuts! That bomb was also his 30th of the season, cementing his spot in the 30/30 club. Talk about making a statement, right? This one swing, this one epic moment, might just be the thing that locks up his MVP case. The odds board is totally different now, with PCA moving from a big long shot at +750 to a favorite at -155.
He’s been one of baseball’s hottest hitters for the last couple of months. Think about it: in June, the 24-year-old was tearing it up with a .381 average, 11 home runs, 20 RBIs, and a ridiculous .468 on-base percentage. Then in July, he kept it going, hitting .278 with six homers, 17 RBIs, and a .400 OBP. And through the first 17 days of August, he’s still cruising at .273 with another six home runs and 15 RBIs. This dude has been a HUGE reason the Cubs are a whopping 20 games above .500. He’s boosted his season batting average from .242 all the way up to .281 since June, making him a serious, legitimate threat to Ohtani’s bid for a three-peat.
Meanwhile, over in the American League, Yordan Álvarez is just doing Yordan Álvarez things, putting together what’s shaping up to be a historic season. He leads all of MLB with a .321 batting average, sits second in the majors with 36 dingers, and is fourth with 88 RBIs. We’re talking Triple Crown conversation, people! Since the All-Star break, he’s only gotten stronger, bumping his average from .318 to .321 and recording 10 multi-hit games. No surprise his AL MVP odds have skyrocketed from -165 to an insane -1200. On the flip side, Ohtani, who was the overwhelming -1500 favorite for NL MVP on July 18, is now at +125. Even though his batting average has gone up since the All-Star break, the momentum has clearly shifted.
With playoffs just six weeks away, these MVP races are absolutely dialed up. What’s next? Every at-bat, every game, it’s all on the line as these guys fight to prove they’re the best in their league. This is what we live for, right?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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