NEW YORK, United States, November 12, 2026: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s historic season with the Chicago Cubs has placed Shohei Ohtani’s three-year Most Valuable Player winning streak in jeopardy, while Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez leads an American League race featuring two other exceptional talents. The MLB MVP Awards 2026 feature six finalists whose statistical achievements create two very different contests: one dominated by an extraordinary combination of power, speed and defense, and another shaped by the value of elite offensive production.
Crow-Armstrong finished the regular season with 45 home runs, 41 stolen bases and an MLB-leading 10.6 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement, making him the National League favorite over Ohtani and Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang. Alvarez led qualified American League hitters in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, but Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. offer competing arguments built around durability and all-around contributions. The winners are selected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America based on regular-season performance.
Key Takeaways
- Crow-Armstrong finished the regular season with 45 home runs, 41 stolen bases and an MLB-leading 10.6 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement, making him the National League favorite over Ohtani and Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang.
- In the National League, Crow-Armstrong’s combination of elite offense and center-field defense makes him the leading candidate.
- The Most Valuable Player Award is determined by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
- Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have dominated the MVP discussion in recent years.
MLB MVP Awards 2026: Six Finalists, Two Different Battles
The six finalists represent different interpretations of value.
Story at a glance
MLB MVP Awards 2026: Six Finalists, Two Different Battles
The six finalists represent different interpretations of value.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Historic Season Threatens Ohtani’s MVP Streak
Crow-Armstrong produced one of the most impressive all-around seasons in recent baseball history.
Shohei Ohtani Still Has a Strong Two-Way MVP Argument
Ohtani entered the season having won four career MVP awards, including three consecutive honors.
Yordan Alvarez Dominates the American League Offensive Numbers
Alvarez offers perhaps the strongest traditional hitting case of any American League finalist.
Junior Caminero and Bobby Witt Jr. Present Different Challenges
Junior Caminero’s case rests on elite power production and durability.
In the National League, Crow-Armstrong’s combination of elite offense and center-field defense makes him the leading candidate. Ohtani remains a formidable competitor because of his two-way contribution, while Turang’s development helped Milwaukee finish with baseball’s best regular-season record.
The American League debate is more complicated. Alvarez produced the strongest overall batting numbers, Caminero delivered elite power while playing every game, and Witt contributed value at shortstop despite less impressive offensive totals.
| League | Finalist | Team | Principal MVP Argument |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL | Yordan Alvarez | Houston Astros | League-leading batting average, OBP and slugging |
| AL | Junior Caminero | Tampa Bay Rays | 42 home runs and 162 games played |
| AL | Bobby Witt Jr. | Kansas City Royals | Shortstop defense and all-around production |
| NL | Pete Crow-Armstrong | Chicago Cubs | 45 home runs, 41 steals and elite center-field defense |
| NL | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Dodgers | 30 home runs and a 1.79 pitching ERA |
| NL | Brice Turang | Milwaukee Brewers | 100 RBIs, strong defense and a 103-win team |
The official MLB finalists announcement identifies the candidates and documents their regular-season achievements.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Historic Season Threatens Ohtani’s MVP Streak
Crow-Armstrong produced one of the most impressive all-around seasons in recent baseball history.
The Cubs center fielder hit 45 home runs, stole 41 bases and recorded a .280/.372/.570 batting line.
He became the seventh player to join MLB’s 40-home-run, 40-steal club.
However, his offensive production tells only part of the story.
Crow-Armstrong also ranked among the game’s leading defensive players, finishing first in Statcast’s Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value.
His ability to prevent hits and convert difficult opportunities into outs provided Chicago with value that traditional offensive statistics cannot fully describe.
Why Crow-Armstrong’s WAR Advantage Matters
Crow-Armstrong finished with 10.6 FanGraphs WAR, 3.6 wins above the next-ranked player, Bobby Witt Jr., who recorded 7.0.
That is an unusually large separation.
According to MLB’s historical comparison, the previous occasion on which one player finished at least three WAR ahead of every other major leaguer was 1956, when Mickey Mantle led Duke Snider.
WAR is an estimate of a player’s overall contribution relative to replacement-level performance. Different WAR models use different calculations, so values should be compared within the same system.
Crow-Armstrong’s 10.6 fWAR does not mean Chicago won exactly 10.6 additional games because of him. It indicates the scale of his estimated value within the model.
The distinction matters because his MVP case combines exceptional offense with contributions in center field and on the bases.
Shohei Ohtani Still Has a Strong Two-Way MVP Argument
Ohtani entered the season having won four career MVP awards, including three consecutive honors.
Another victory would place him closer to Barry Bonds’ all-time record of seven.
Yet his latest campaign differed from those that established his recent dominance.
Left-knee and right-biceps injuries limited his pitching workload to 85⅔ innings.
Despite those restrictions, Ohtani posted a 1.79 ERA with 95 strikeouts and an 8-2 record.
At the plate, he hit 30 home runs with an .889 OPS.
His offensive production was less dominant than in some previous seasons, but the combination of high-level hitting and pitching remains exceptionally uncommon.
The central question for voters is whether Ohtani’s limited pitching workload and strong offensive production outweigh Crow-Armstrong’s full-season dominance across offense, defense and baserunning.
Postseason performances cannot change that calculation because MVP ballots are submitted before playoff competition begins.
The Sports Encounter previously examined Ohtani’s exceptional financial and sporting profile in its investigation into the world’s highest-paid athletes, which explained how his commercial earnings have developed alongside his baseball achievements.
Yordan Alvarez Dominates the American League Offensive Numbers
Alvarez offers perhaps the strongest traditional hitting case of any American League finalist.
The Astros designated hitter won the AL batting title with a .316 average and led qualified hitters in on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.601) and OPS (1.033).
He also established career highs with 42 home runs and 106 RBIs.
| Yordan Alvarez Statistic | Regular-Season Result |
|---|---|
| Batting average | .316 |
| On-base percentage | .432 |
| Slugging percentage | .601 |
| OPS | 1.033 |
| Home runs | 42 |
| RBIs | 106 |
| Walks | 109 |
| Total bases | 341 |
| Extra-base hits | 77 |
His 1.033 OPS was 132 points higher than the next qualified American League hitter, according to contemporary statistical analysis.
That separation illustrates his offensive advantage without requiring an invented MVP voting margin.
Alvarez’s principal limitation in comparisons with Caminero and Witt is his role as a designated hitter.
Because he does not regularly provide defensive contributions, voters must weigh his exceptional hitting against the combined offensive and defensive value of everyday position players.
Alvarez’s Comeback Gives His Season Another Dimension
Alvarez played 158 games after appearing in only 48 during the previous season.
His return from injury brought not only a full workload but one of the most productive offensive campaigns in baseball.
He was recognized with the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award and the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.
He also received the American League Hank Aaron Award for offensive performance.
Those honors have different selection criteria from the BBWAA MVP Award and cannot be treated as evidence of an official MVP result.
Junior Caminero and Bobby Witt Jr. Present Different Challenges
Junior Caminero’s case rests on elite power production and durability.
The Tampa Bay third baseman appeared in all 162 regular-season games, hitting 42 home runs and driving in 101 runs.
His .884 OPS was below Alvarez’s, but his defensive responsibilities and full-season availability distinguish his contribution.
Caminero also helped the Rays win 98 games, strengthening the argument that his offensive production supported a successful team.
Bobby Witt Jr. offers another type of value.
The Royals shortstop batted .281/.359/.441 with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs.
Those offensive figures do not match his strongest previous season, but his defense at a demanding position remains an important part of his case.
Kansas City’s comparatively weak offense also provides context for his run production.
Voters must therefore decide how much additional weight to assign to defensive difficulty, everyday availability and team circumstances.
Brice Turang’s Development Helped Make Milwaukee Baseball’s Best Team
Turang’s inclusion completes the National League’s three-player field.
The Milwaukee second baseman batted .268 with 21 home runs, 100 RBIs, 19 steals and an .816 OPS.
He also maintained the defensive quality that had already earned him two Gold Glove awards.
Milwaukee finished 103-59, the best regular-season record in Major League Baseball, before going on to capture the franchise’s first World Series championship.
Although Turang’s postseason success cannot contribute to his MVP vote, his regular-season performance helped establish the Brewers as a leading contender.
TSE examined the team’s historical championship achievement in its feature on the Brewers’ World Series journey and Bob Uecker’s legacy.
Turang’s argument also demonstrates why an MVP ballot cannot be reduced to a home-run leaderboard.
His value includes defensive reliability, improved hitting and contributions to a team that consistently outperformed its opponents.
How the BBWAA Determines the MVP Winners
The Most Valuable Player Award is determined by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Thirty voters from each league submit ranked ballots before the postseason begins.
Each ballot includes ten players, with points awarded according to their positions.
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Each player can receive a maximum of 420 points.
The winner is the player with the highest total.
The BBWAA’s official awards announcement identifies the finalists and confirms the voting and announcement schedule.
This process explains why offensive statistics, defensive performance and team contributions can generate different interpretations among voters.
It also explains why results from the World Series cannot change the award outcome.
What Makes This MVP Race Different From Recent Seasons?
Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have dominated the MVP discussion in recent years.
Both defended their awards in 2025, continuing a period in which baseball’s most recognizable stars repeatedly claimed its highest individual honor.
This season has produced a different group of leading candidates.
Judge is not among the three American League finalists.
Ohtani remains in contention in the National League, but Crow-Armstrong’s season presents an unusually strong challenge.
Alvarez is seeking his first MVP after finishing third in the American League voting in 2022.
Caminero and Witt are attempting to establish themselves among the game’s most accomplished players.
The broader awards season has already highlighted the emergence of younger talent.
New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler and Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski unanimously won the Cy Young Awards.
The Sports Encounter examined their performances and voting records in its report on the historic double Cy Young sweep.
Those results reinforce the wider pattern: new names are increasingly challenging established stars for baseball’s leading honors.
The MLB MVP Awards Could Signal a Changing Generation
The strongest arguments in the American and National League races arise from different types of achievement.
Alvarez delivered extraordinary offensive consistency, while Caminero and Witt combined their batting contributions with the demands of regular defensive work.
Crow-Armstrong established a historically unusual combination of power, speed and elite center-field defense.
Ohtani remains an exceptional two-way player, and Turang helped Milwaukee establish baseball’s strongest regular-season record.
What distinguishes the MLB MVP Awards 2026 is not merely the number of outstanding candidates but the different ways they have created value.
The official voting results will determine whose performance the writers considered most valuable. Until those results are independently confirmed, the finalists’ season records provide the strongest factual basis for evaluating the races.
