Overview
- Crow‑Armstrong told teammates Tuesday that he would “love to dethrone” Shohei Ohtani and joked he might visit a pitching lab or “be a closer” to improve his MVP odds.
- The Cubs outfielder has surged offensively during a 34‑game stretch, slashing .367/.451/.734 with 13 home runs and nine stolen bases in that run.
- Ohtani was named an All‑Star but is not playing in the game while he recovers from a knee injury, and his combined elite hitting and pitching gives him an outsized advantage in MVP voting.
- Analysts say a position player would likely need historically extraordinary totals — examples cited include a 70‑home‑run season or a 40‑40 campaign — to overcome a two‑way frontrunner like Ohtani.
- The race to watch now is whether Crow‑Armstrong can sustain his two‑way value narrative and whether Ohtani's health affects voters; continued production from Crow‑Armstrong or any drop in Ohtani's availability would be the clearest changes to the current outlook.