Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong changed part of his game to become NL MVP

When it came to playing the game of baseball in 2026, there was no one better than Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. 

Let’s start with his offense: PCA became the seventh player in major league history to have a season with at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases. He is also the first in franchise history to accomplish the feat. 

After the regular season concluded, PCA led the big leagues in bWAR (9.8), runs, scored (119) and was tied for the league-lead in home runs (45). He also led the National league with a .943 OPS and a .570 slugging percentage. 

Defensively, he led the Cubs in defensive runs saved with 16. So many times PCA prevented a run from scoring because he made a great diving catch. 

PCA's great work on the field is the reason he was unanimously voted the National League Most Valuable Player.  He received all 30 first-place votes and 470 points from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, while Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani finished second with 264 points. Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang finished third with 190 points. 

Crow-Armstrong became the 12th member of the Cubs to win the top prize in the NL. Third baseman Kris Bryant was the last to win the award in 2016. 

Of all the great stats he put up, PCA is most proud of the .372 on-base percentage, which ranked seventh in the National League. His career high prior to 2026 was .287 the previous season.

Pete Crow-Armstrong speaks out after winning NL MVP

“Jed Hoyer (Cubs president of baseball operations) and I talked about how I could impact the game the most,” PCA remembered during a conference call with the media. I think we all decided it’s when I’m on base. I think I disagreed with him a little bit when it came to some of the homers that we were talking about. I felt like I was still going hit those homers. 

“But I also knew I was capable of getting on base at a higher clip, understanding over time it would average out to affecting the game more than your occasional game-tying solo home run. 

"I ended up looking at on-base percentage. It was something that I’m super proud of. It was such a jump from years past. I was able to reap the benefits of being on base a lot when it came to scoring runs. It definitely let me utilize my tool box a little bit more just by being on base like I was." 

It’s amazing PCA was able to become the MVP. Remember, he was 52-for-219 (.237) with seven homers during the first two months of the season. But from June 1 to the end of the season, PCA hit .302 (123-for-407) with 38 dingers. 

But Crow-Armstrong is a team-first type of guy. He is most proud of the way the Cubs won their games in the late innings. In fact, Chicago had 13 walk-off wins, which is tied for the second most in franchise history.

 "It was perseverance to turn my year around," PCA said. “It was showing up to the park knowing that people kind of knew I would turn it around — when I may not have — was more confidence than I could have ever needed. The Craig Counsells of the world felt comfortable enough to put me in the leadoff spot when I may not have earned it based on results.       

" …  From a regular-season standpoint, it was probably being part of so many walk-off wins. I think that says a lot about how the lineup stays in the game and the bullpen can impact the later innings of these games. I would say it’s the comebacks and really finishing the job is what I’m most proud of. We had so many clusters of big moments where we were probably the only 26 people that thought we would win and we weren’t out." 

It’s mid-November and PCA is already in the weight room getting ready for the 2027 season. Talk to PCA and he feels he can do better than he did this past season. 

“You know what you have to do to stay healthy,” PCA said. “I don’t plan to approach my offseason any differently.”  

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.