Pete Crow-Armstrong and Yordan Alvarez Win Unanimous MVP Awards
Two young stars took home baseball's top individual honors, and both won every vote. Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was named National League Most Valuable Player, and Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez was named American League Most Valuable Player, according to The Guardian. Both men won unanimously, and both were winning the award for the first time.
Crow-Armstrong had a season built on power and speed. He batted .280 with 45 home runs, 107 runs batted in and 41 stolen bases in 162 games. The home run total tied Kyle Schwarber for the most in the majors. He also led the National League with 119 runs scored, a .570 slugging percentage and a .942 OPS. Slugging measures how many bases a hitter collects per at-bat, and OPS adds that to on-base percentage, which tracks how often a batter reaches base.
Alvarez won the American League race by hitting the ball and refusing to make outs. He posted a career-high .316 batting average with 42 home runs and 106 RBIs. He also led the majors in batting average, drew 109 walks and posted a .432 on-base percentage and a .601 slugging percentage. Every first-place vote in the balloting went to him.
Alvarez is the first Astros player to win the AL MVP since Jose Altuve did it in 2017. Crow-Armstrong is the first Cubs player to win the NL MVP since Kris Bryant in 2016. Both franchises have waited years for this honor, and both now have a name on the list again.
The American League race was not close at the top of the ballot, but it was crowded behind it. Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays finished second, and Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. finished third, according to The Guardian. Witt is a shortstop, and Caminero plays third base, so the top three in the league's voting came from three different corners of the infield and lineup.
For fans, the awards are a reminder of how much one season can change. Crow-Armstrong's power and speed combined in a way the league rarely sees, and Alvarez went from a strong hitter to the most patient one in the game. Both players now carry the honor into a winter that will bring contract talks and roster planning for their teams.
Voting for the MVP is done by a panel of writers and broadcasters who pick players from their league. Each voter ranks the top ten candidates, and the first-place votes are worth the most. A unanimous result means every voter put the same player first.
