For the first time in four years, Shohei Ohtani will not add an MVP trophy to his collection, and for the first time in six years, neither Ohtani nor Aaron Judge is an MVP. Instead, the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez both became first-time MVPs, as both players were unanimously elected.
Crow-Armstrong, 24, was easily the best player in baseball by a number of statistics, finishing at 10.6 fWAR and 9.8 bWAR as he hit .280/.372/.570 with a major-league best 45 homers and 119
runs scored, adding 107 RBIs, 31 doubles, eight triples, and 41 steals.
His 45 homers and 41 steals made him the seventh player in MLB history to have a 40-40 season, and only the third to have 45 homers, 40 steals, and 30 doubles in one year, joining Ohtani (2024) and Alfonso Soriano (2006).
Defensively, he also took him his second consecutive Gold Glove Award and won the NL’s Platinum Glove, the first of his career. He posted a +26 fielding run value to set a Statcast-era record for an outfielder, and his +26 outs above average tied Byron Buxton (2017) for the most by an outfielder.
Crow-Armstrong received all 30 first-place votes for the award, while Ohtani received 26 second-place votes, two third-place votes, and two fourth-place votes to finish second overall. The Brewers’ Brice Turang came in third, receiving one third-place vote and plenty of votes for third, fourth, and fifth, while NL Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski finished fifth and Jake Bauers and Jackson Chourio also received down-ballot votes. To view the full NL balloting, click here.
Turang has only gotten better each season since debuting in 2023, making his World Baseball Classic debut back in the spring and setting career highs this year with 21 homers, 100 RBIs, a .366 OBP, and a .450 slugging percentage, adding 19 steals and his second Gold Glove Award at second base. He also turned things on down the stretch, leading the majors in average (.361) and on-base percentage (.475) in the month of September before leading the World Series-winning Crew with 11 walks across 13 playoff games.
Turang becomes the first Brewers infielder to finish in the top three in MVP voting since Prince Fielder finished third back in 2011, the same year Ryan Braun won the award. He’s also the first Brewers middle infielder to finish top three since Robin Yount won the AL MVP in 1982.
Alvarez himself had a fantastic year to take home the AL honors, winning the AL batting title by hitting .316 and leading the league in on-base percentage (.432), slugging (.601), OPS (1.033), total bases (341), walks (109), intentional walks (33), extra-base hits (77), and offensive bWAR (7.2). He also finished second in RBIs (106) and tied for second with 42 homers, both of which set career highs.
While he didn’t quite win the Triple Crown, he did become just the fourth player this century to lead the majors in batting average, OBP, and slugging, joining Aaron Judge (2025), Miguel Cabrera (2013), and Barry Bonds (2002).
Alvarez received all 30 first-place votes, while Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero came in second, receiving 27 second-place votes and three third-place votes. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. finished third, receiving scattered votes to edge the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler, 188 points to 181. Witt will have to wait at least one more year for that elusive AL MVP, as he’s now finished in the top four in each of the last three seasons despite being just 26 years old. To view the full AL balloting, click here.
