While the Los Angeles Dodgers try to get back to playing better and more consistent baseball headed into the final stretch of the season, the National League MVP race is also coming down to the wire as Shohei Ohtani pursues his fourth consecutive ward.
Ohtani has had another great year in 2026, but faces serious competition in the form of Chicago Cubs All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 24-year-old has taken a significant leap on offense in his third full season in the Majors while maintaining his status as the arguably best defender in baseball.
Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong are the two leading candidates for the award this season. A player survey recently conducted concluded Crow-Armstrong as the overwhelming choice, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The survey’s sample consisted of 21 players across nine different teams, with the Dodgers and Cubs not included in the polling.
Crow-Armstrong received 15 votes for NL MVP, Ohtani received four and two respondents were in favor of a split.
Ohtani has not won an MVP award as a full two-way player since the 2023 season. However, he was named NL MVP with the Dodgers the past two years because of extraordinary offensive production. This season was supposed to be different with Ohtani taking on a full two-way workload before left knee inflammation indefinitely shut him down on the mound.
PCA vs. Ohtani MVP race
The argument against Ohtani winning the MVP Award in 2024 was his lack of defensive contributions as a designated hitter. A full season as a pitcher from the 32-year-old this season would have gone a long way toward combating that criticism.
Additionally, while Ohtani is having a strong season at the plate, it has not been as dominant as his previous two years. There has been a significant dip in his slugging this season, particularly Ohtani’s home run prowess.
His slugging percentage has dropped from .622 to .554 and has resulted in an on-base plus slugging below 1.000 for the first time in three seasons. Still, Ohtani’s .942 OPS is second only to Yordan Alvarez and sits comfortably above Crow-Armstrong’s .928 mark.
And while Ohtani’s time on the mound has been cut short by injury, his 1.79 ERA and 85.2 innings over 14 starts is not insignificant.
Even though Crow-Armstrong has certainly put together an MVP-worthy season, Ohtani also deserves to remain part of what is sure to be a compelling race for the award down the final stretch of the 2026 campaign.
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