Pete Crow-Armstrong and Yordan Alvarez Win Unanimous MVP Awards

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez won Most Valuable Player honors in unanimous votes by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Crow-Armstrong secured all 30 first-place votes in the National League, while Alvarez matched that sweep in the American League. It marks the third straight year the National League award was unanimous, and only the third time in history that voting for both leagues was unanimous, following Major League Baseball data.

The results also coincided with unanimous Cy Young wins for the Milwaukee Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski in the National League, marking the first time both MVP winners and both Cy Young winners were unanimous since the pitching honor began in 1956.

“It seems like everyone else had a good feeling that I was going to win this besides me. When I heard my name, that’s when the emotion came out,” Crow-Armstrong said, as reported by ESPN.

After opening the season batting ninth, Crow-Armstrong moved to the leadoff spot in mid-May as manager Craig Counsell sought an offensive spark, according to ESPN. He raised his walk rate from 4.5% in 2025 to 11.4% in 2026, according to Fox News, finishing with a major-league-best 10.6 fWAR, according to Major League Baseball.

With these results, the Astros earned their third MVP in franchise history, following Jeff Bagwell in 1994 and Jose Altuve in 2017, while the Cubs claimed their 11th MVP campaign overall.

The long list of Chicago recipients spans from Frank Schulte in 1911 and Rogers Hornsby in 1929 through Gabby Hartnett in 1935, Phil Cavarretta in 1945, Hank Sauer in 1952, Ernie Banks in 1958 and 1959, Ryne Sandberg in 1984, Andre Dawson in 1987, Sammy Sosa in 1998, Kris Bryant in 2016, and now Pete Crow-Armstrong in 2026.

Crow-Armstrong hit .280 with 45 home runs, 107 RBIs, and 41 stolen bases while earning both Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards, according to ESPN and The Chicago Tribune. The 24-year-old became the seventh player in major league history to record a 40-homer, 40-steal season, according to The Chicago Sun-Times.

After opening the season batting low in the lineup, Crow-Armstrong moved to the top of the order, according to ESPN. He finished with a 10.6 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement, according to Major League Baseball.

His remarkable performance helped propel the Cubs to a Wild Card berth and the team leadership in both runs scored and defensive runs saved, completing a dramatic in-season turnaround from an early slump that featured a .673 OPS one-third of the way through the schedule. Crow-Armstrong successfully bested Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang for the honor.

“I think my coaching staff was very patient with me throughout my struggles early in the year, and they definitely gave me a chance to turn it around,” Crow-Armstrong told reporters.

“You don't really know what it takes to be successful until you get into the season … but I think it's just the fact that I want to be better than I was the day before,” Crow-Armstrong said.

In the American League, Alvarez captured his MVP award after leading all qualified hitters with a .316 batting average, 42 home runs, 106 RBIs, and a 181 weighted runs created plus, according to ESPN and Sports Illustrated. The 29-year-old designated hitter became just the second primary designated hitter in major league history to win the award, joining Shohei Ohtani, according to Sports Illustrated.

Junior Caminero finished second in the American League voting, and Bobby Witt Jr. placed third, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

“If I can take that version of myself and apply it to every aspect of the game, let’s do that in October and November,” Alvarez said.

Earlier coverage: 30 Out of 30 Voters Elect Pete Crow-Armstrong as Unanimous NL MVP

More on this story: Yordan Alvarez Wins Two 2026 MLB Players Choice Awards After Historic Comeback Season · Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cody Bellinger Win 2026 MLB Platinum Glove Awards · Jacob Misiorowski Wins Unanimous NL Cy Young Award