Pete Crow-Armstrong wins unanimous 2026 NL MVP as Cubs’ first unanimous award winner

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Pete Crow-Armstrong has been named the 2026 National League Most Valuable Player, securing a unanimous BBWAA vote with 30 first-place selections. The announcement means the Cubs star center fielder receives the NL MVP in overwhelming fashion as part of a season described by the BBWAA voting body as the highest level of performance in the league.

The BBWAA’s unanimous decision positions Crow-Armstrong as the first player to win a unanimous MVP for the Cubs. The source also notes that the previous Cubs MVP winners since the BBWAA began awarding the trophy in 1931 were Kris Bryant (2016), Sammy Sosa (1998), Andre Dawson (1987), Ryne Sandberg (1984), Ernie Banks (1958-59), Hank Sauer (1952), Phil Cavarretta (1945) and Gabby Hartnett (1935).

Crow-Armstrong’s unanimous selection came after he finished ahead of runner-up Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani, a two-way superstar, had previously won three straight MVP awards and four in the five seasons leading up to this one, with the most recent MVPs both arriving during his last two seasons with Los Angeles, according to the announcement’s summary.

In the 2026 season, Crow-Armstrong compiled 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases, producing what the source describes as only the seventh 40-40 season in Major League Baseball history and the first such season for the Cubs. The season also placed him in a historical comparison set: the source says he joined Ohtani (2024) and Alfonso Soriano (2016) as the only players in MLB history to reach at least 45 homers, 40 steals and 30 doubles in a single year.

The award story also points to Crow-Armstrong’s overall value and offensive production. The source says he finished with an MLB-leading 10.6 WAR, ranking second in Cubs history behind only Rogers Hornsby’s 11.0 in 1929, and that he finished 3.6 WAR ahead of the second-ranked player, identified as Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. The source adds that this marked the first time since 1956, when Mickey Mantle finished 3.0 WAR ahead of Duke Snider, that the gap between the No. 1 and No. 2 players was at least 3.0.

On the batting side, Crow-Armstrong hit .280 with a .372 on-base percentage, and the source says he led the National League in both slugging (.570) and OPS (.942). It also reports that his 45 homers were tied for the Major League lead with Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies, while his 84 extra-base hits, 119 runs and 357 total bases each led MLB outright.

The source attributes part of Crow-Armstrong’s offensive lift to improved dedication to plate discipline alongside noticeable swing changes. It frames the year as one filled with standout moments, including a reported cycle, a three-home-run game described as featuring team legends Sammy Sosa and Andre Dawson in attendance, and a game versus the Chicago White Sox that included a leadoff and a walkoff home run. The announcement further states that he topped Billy Williams’ club record for homers in one season by a left-handed batter.

Beyond offense, the MVP selection also reflects Crow-Armstrong’s defensive impact. The source says he anchored a Cubs outfield that won the NL Team Gold Glove Award, and it cites an MLB-best fielding run value (+26). It also reports that this +26 figure was the highest single season for an outfielder under Statcast and that his outs above average (+26) tied Byron Buxton’s 2017 total for the most in a year for an outfielder.

The Cubs’ internal belief in Crow-Armstrong is linked in the announcement to the team’s earlier roster moves. The source says the Cubs believed in his potential when they traded Javier Báez to the Mets at the 2021 Trade Deadline and acquired Crow-Armstrong as a prospect. It then describes the 2026 season as one that turned “P-C-A” chants into “M-V-P” cries by season’s end.

In public remarks presented in the source, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said, “It’s the best position-player season I’ve ever seen, personally,” and also made a prediction that Crow-Armstrong “He’s going to win the MVP. He’ll win the Hank Aaron Award. He’ll win the Platinum Glove. To do all those things in one season is incredible, and we’re just lucky to have him.” The announcement notes those awards followed later in the year.

According to the source, Crow-Armstrong did win the Platinum Glove in the NL, along with his second career Gold Glove. It also says he was named the NL Hank Aaron Award recipient, and that the BBWAA then completed the set by naming him MVP in “overwhelming fashion,” with the unanimous vote representing the final step of the season’s award run.

The unanimous MVP win caps a 2026 campaign that, as described in the announcement, combined elite production across multiple categories—power, speed, on-base skills, and defensive value—into a single season. For the Cubs, it also marks a historic first unanimous MVP in team history, with Crow-Armstrong becoming the organization’s latest centerpiece award winner at the highest individual level in Major League Baseball.

The next chapter for the award winner will be determined by offseason roster decisions and the Cubs’ priorities heading into 2027, but the 2026 MVP outcome is now formally set: Pete Crow-Armstrong is the National League’s Most Valuable Player, unanimously selected by the BBWAA.