Pete Crow-Armstrong just stormed past Shohei Ohtani for the National League MVP lead, making a two-player battle out of what felt like a foregone conclusion. ESPN’s latest MLB Awards Watch, specifically Bradford Doolittle’s AXE system, now puts the Cubs’ center fielder ahead with a 163.3 rating. That’s a noticeable jump on Ohtani’s 154.7, and honestly, nobody else in the NL is even close, with the next player struggling to hit 134.
Crow-Armstrong’s Unstoppable Rise
This ain’t just about smashing dingers, folks. Crow-Armstrong has built a full-blown MVP case, combining insane production at the plate with ridiculous baserunning and hands down the best center-field defense in baseball. Think about this: he’s the first player in Cubs history to pull off back-to-back 30-home run, 30-stolen base seasons. Heading into the final week of August, his numbers are legit: batting .281 with a .379 on-base percentage and a .550 slugging percentage. We’re talking 25 doubles, 78 RBIs, and a career-high 66 walks too. But his defense? Oh man. Statcast tells us he was leading MLB with a mind-blowing 24 fielding runs and 22 outs above average as of Monday. This dude creates value everywhere, plain and simple.
Ohtani’s Hurdles and the Road Ahead
Meanwhile, Ohtani has been stuck in designated hitter mode for over seven weeks. Look, he’s still an elite offensive monster, no doubt about it. He just smashed his 30th home run for the sixth straight season, which is just bonkers. But his inability to pitch for so long totally pulled the rug out from under that historic two-way season he was putting together. We saw the shift hit the betting markets back on August 5th, right after he and Crow-Armstrong traded those epic home runs during their series at Wrigley. Doolittle from ESPN said it straight up: “Now it feels as if this is Crow-Armstrong’s race to lose.” It’s wild to think about, given how untouchable Ohtani looked early on.
Can Ohtani claw his way back? Absolutely. Writing him off would be foolish. He can still go on an offensive tear that flips this whole thing. And what if he gets back on the mound before the regular season wraps up? Even a few strong pitching appearances would bring back that element Crow-Armstrong just can’t match. Plus, if the Dodgers find their stride with Ohtani carrying them and Chicago falters, voters might swing back to the four-time MVP. But Crow-Armstrong needs to stay consistent and avoid those slumps that bit him before. Right now, though? The advantage is all with the Cubs’ center fielder. Ohtani isn’t just chasing history anymore. He is chasing Pete Crow-Armstrong. This race is going down to the wire!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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