The National League MVP race has reached a point where Shohei Ohtani’s biggest advantage may not be enough anymore. The Los Angeles Dodgers star brings a level of offense and two-way impact that few can match. But Pete Crow-Armstrong is throwing a compelling challenge from a different foundation. And with the season entering its final stretch, Jon Heyman has highlighted where PCA edges Ohtani.
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“I think PCA has actually taken over this competition,” the insider said in a recent interview with MLB Network. “And this is most interesting probably to most baseball fans because we’re talking about Shohei Ohtani, arguably the greatest player of all time. A four-time MVP, you know, all unanimous. Unanimous last year, unanimous since he’s been with the Dodgers.”
The two-way superstar won it first in 2021 before adding three more to his name in the last 3 years. Ohtani is the only player to receive the Most Valuable Player Award in both the American and National League multiple times. The only other player to win both for the AL and NL was Frank Robinson. And much of that has been possible due to his two-way prowess.
But Heyman thinks that the separator for Crow-Armstrong is that he has had more big moments. And he leads the National League in win probability added (5.2, as of now).
And it’s not just his WPA; PCA leads in several other important categories.
He is tied with James Wood at the top of MLB with 100 runs scored this season. Ohtani is 5th with 88 runs. The Chicago Cubs center fielder heavily outweighs the Dodger in WAR (8.3 over 3.6). His .943 OPS is second only to Yordan Alvarez, and PCA is also 5 spots ahead of Ohtani in slugging percentage.
The Cub has hit 38 home runs in 2026. That’s 8 more than Shohei Ohtani has recorded. And the Japanese superstar has only 10 stolen bases compared to PCA’s 32 this season.
And Crow-Armstrong isn’t just elite with the bat.
His defensive skills are also incredible. He has 100th-percentile fielding run value. The 24-year-old has 23 Outs Above Average. But last season definitely didn’t look like this.
While Shotime’s slashline read .282 / .392 / .622, PCA stood at .247 / .287 / .481. The Japanese phenom had a 55-homer season, while Pete was at 31. Only in the race for stolen bases was PCA ahead: 35 compared to Ohtani’s 20.
Then again, Ohtani’s numbers aren’t bad either.
He has secured the 99th percentile in both xwOBA and xSLG. And he has a 97th-percentile exit velocity. But above all these, Ohtani’s pitching skills have been his biggest advantage.
While he hasn’t been on the mound since July 3 due to his knee inflammation, he had already had 14 starts by then.
He has an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA and 95 Ks. This is something Pete Crow-Armstrong cannot challenge. And that’s where the blow in the MVP race may lessen a bit.
“I think it’s because of the position that he plays, and he is the best center fielder in baseball statistically and otherwise,” Heyman added. “But Ohtani, a half year of pitching to me, that is greater on the run prevention than a full year of great center field.”
Yet, he admits that their WAR doesn’t reflect that, again indicating a heavy snub.
“So I’m not looking at WAR, but I am looking at the total package. The total season and PCA has just had so many great moments that he is the clear leader at this point.”
While that is hard to argue, we’ll have to wait for a few more months to find out who finally takes over.