FACTS
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez and Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong were named the 2026 MLB MVP winners on Thursday, Nov. 12, and both won unanimously. Each received all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Crow-Armstrong finished ahead of four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani in the National League.
How the MLB MVP voting worked
Two writers from each of the 15 chapters in each league ranked 10 players, CBS Sports reported. A first-place vote is worth 14 points, so a unanimous winner gets 420 points. Ballots are submitted before the playoffs because the award covers the regular season only. The postseason ended with the Milwaukee Brewers beating the Tampa Bay Rays in five games for their first World Series title, Stay Current News reported.
Alvarez caps a comeback season
Alvarez, 29, played 158 games after injuries limited him to 48 in 2025, according to CBS Sports. He hit .316 with a .432 on-base percentage and a .601 slugging percentage, with 42 home runs, 106 RBIs and 105 runs.
He led the majors in all three of those percentage categories and fell one home run and seven RBIs short of the Triple Crown, CBS Sports reported. He is the third Astros player to win MVP, after Jeff Bagwell in 1994 and Jose Altuve in 2017.
Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero finished second with 267 points after hitting 42 home runs. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. was third with 188 points.
Crow-Armstrong joins the 40-40 club
Crow-Armstrong played all 162 games and hit .280 with 45 home runs, 107 RBIs, 119 runs and 41 stolen bases, CBS Sports reported. He became the seventh player in major league history with at least 40 home runs and 40 steals in a season.
He led the majors in wins above replacement, at 9.8, and in runs, home runs and total bases, according to CBS Sports. He is the 11th Cubs player to win MVP and the first since Kris Bryant in 2016.
Ohtani, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, finished second with 264 points. He hit 30 home runs and went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA as a pitcher. Milwaukee’s Brice Turang was third with 190 points.
“I want to be better than I was the day before,” Crow-Armstrong said after the announcement, according to Yahoo Sports. He said he spoke with Bryant earlier in the day and added, “I’m happy to carry on their legacy.”
Rest of the awards week
The MVP announcement closed the BBWAA’s awards week. Earlier winners included Cy Young Award winners Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees and Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, and Rookies of the Year Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers and Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds.
