Alvarez and Crow-Armstrong sweep MVP awards as Ohtani finishes second
Alvarez posted a .316 average and 42 home runs, while Crow-Armstrong recorded 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases.
By Fatima Saleh ·
Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez and Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong won the American and National League Most Valuable Player awards by unanimous vote, Major League Baseball announced Thursday.
Alvarez finished the 2026 season with a .316 batting average, 42 home runs, and 106 runs batted in. He led the American League in total bases with 341, walks with 109, and on-base percentage at .432. His .601 slugging percentage and 1.033 on-base plus slugging marked his best offensive output. He is the only player since 1970 to win the batting title with at least 40 home runs, joining Aaron Judge and Miguel Cabrera.
Tampa Bay Rays infielder Junior Caminero placed second in the American League balloting. He received 27 of the 30 second-place votes. Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. finished third. New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler, the American League Cy Young Award winner, took fourth place with one second-place vote.
Crow-Armstrong led the National League with 119 runs scored. He tied the major league lead with 45 home runs, a mark shared with Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. His 41 stolen bases made him the seventh player in history to record a 40-40 season. FanGraphs calculated his defensive value at 10.6 wins above replacement, estimating he saved the Cubs between 26 and 32 runs.
The Cubs center fielder is the ninth player from the team to receive the MVP honor. He is the first since Kris Bryant in 2016. Javier Baez previously finished as runner-up to Christian Yelich in 2018. Crow-Armstrong's August performance included 14 home runs, 29 runs, and 28 RBIs, a stretch that helped the team secure a wild-card berth.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani finished second in the National League race. He collected 26 of the 30 second-place votes. Ohtani won the award in the previous two seasons and also won the American League MVP in 2023. He battled knee and biceps injuries during the 2026 campaign but continued to pitch and bat at a high level.
Ohtani recorded an 8-2 record with a 1.79 earned run average in 85 two-thirds innings across 14 starts. He struck out 95 batters. Offensively, he hit 30 home runs, 60 extra-base hits, and scored 89 runs in 139 games.
