Pete Crow-Armstrong won the NL MVP award unanimously on Thursday after the center fielder starred for the Chicago Cubs in a majestic all-around season.
asserted
fielder → win → season
Crow-Armstrong joined Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez as first-time MVPs.
asserted
Armstrong → join → MVPs
Alvarez was the unanimous AL winner after making a run at the Triple Crown, hitting a career-high .316 with 42 homers and 106 RBIs for the AL West champions.
asserted
Alvarez → make → champions
Crow-Armstrong set career highs by batting .280 with 45 homers, 107 RBIs and 41 steals in 162 games.
asserted
Armstrong → set → games
He tied Kyle Schwarber for the major league lead in home runs, and he led the NL in runs (119), slugging percentage (.570) and OPS (.942).
asserted
he → tie → runs
The Southern California native won his second Gold Glove, and he led the majors with 26 Outs Above Average and 23 Runs Prevented, according to Baseball Savant.
uncertain
he → win → Savant
“You spend your whole life in baseball and you just don’t see this happen on a baseball field,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after Crow-Armstrong homered twice in an 8-4 win over Atlanta on Sept. 16.
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Armstrong → spend → Sept.
“You’re grateful to be a part of it.
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You → ’re → it
You’re grateful to see things like this and then you’re grateful that the fans get to see a season like this.
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fans → ’re → this
Alvarez led the majors in batting average and finished in a tie for second in the AL in homers and second by himself in RBIs, trailing Pete Alonso’s 43 homers and 113 RBIs for Baltimore.
asserted
Alvarez → lead → Baltimore
Alvarez was Houston’s primary designated hitter, but his offensive brilliance was enough to overcome his limited contributions on defense.
asserted
brilliance → designate → defense
The four-time All-Star also led the majors in walks (109), on-base percentage (.432) and slugging percentage (.601).
asserted
Star → lead → base
The 29-year-old Alvarez became the first AL MVP from Houston since Jose Altuve in 2017.
asserted
Alvarez → become → 2017
He received all 30 first-place votes in balloting from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
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He → receive → America
Third baseman Junior Caminero, who batted .276 with 42 homers and 101 RBIs for Tampa Bay, was second, receiving 27 of 30 second-place votes.
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who → bat → votes
Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. finished third.
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Jr. → finish → ?
Alvarez broke into the majors with Houston in 2019.
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Alvarez → break → 2019
He hit .313 with 27 homers and 78 RBIs in just 87 games, earning the AL Rookie of the Year award.
asserted
He → hit → award
Alvarez was the ALCS MVP in 2021 and helped the Astros to the 2022 World Series championship.
asserted
Alvarez → help → championship
Crow-Armstrong improved significantly after breakout 2025
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Armstrong → improve → 2025
The 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong, who agreed to a $115 million, six-year contract in March, is the first NL MVP from the Cubs since Kris Bryant in 2016.
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who → agree → 2016
Crow-Armstrong was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2020 amateur draft.
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Armstrong → select → draft
He was traded to Chicago in the Javier Báez deal in July 2021.
asserted
He → trade → July
Crow-Armstrong had a breakout season last year, helping the Cubs qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
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Cubs → have → 2020
He hit .247 with 31 homers, 95 RBIs and 35 steals in 157 games.
asserted
He → hit → games
Crow-Armstrong made significant strides at the plate in his fourth season, namely against left-handers.
asserted
Armstrong → make → handers
He hit .280 against lefties in 2026 after that number was .188 last year.
asserted
number → hit → 2026
“I would say, like, what contributed to making myself a consistent quality at-bat and all that stuff is just, like, getting to know the strike zone just that much better,” Crow-Armstrong said before the start of the playoffs.
asserted
Armstrong → say → playoffs
“I definitely missed less pitches in the zone, in the heart of the zone, that I should be hitting this year.”
asserted
I → miss → that
The Aporia
