A majority of Major League Baseball’s season is in the books. The race for the MVPs on each side of the MLB coin couldn’t be more different. In the American League, Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros has dominated the betting odds as a -1400 favorite. He’s over the next player Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, according to DraftKings. The National League has a heated race between Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs (-155) and four-time unanimous MVP winner Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers (+125). Let’s look at the two NL candidates and see who has the best case to hold the trophy come November.
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Pete Crow-Armstrong, also known as PCA, is coming off a Gold Glove season. He has taken the long-awaited leap that Chicago Cubs fans have been clamoring for. PCA is currently, at the time of writing, tied for 28th in batting average at .279, seventh in home runs with 31, 14th in RBIs with 79, and 14th in OPS at .928, according to ESPN.
Photo Cred: Northside Baseball
What makes PCA stand out is that he is in the midst of a second consecutive 30-for-30 campaign. He stands alone as the only player to accomplish that this season. HPCA is an insanely quick base runner. He uses that speed to steal more bases than anyone in Major League Baseball. When his exemplary defense, it’s no mystery why he’s in the running for NL MVP.
Shohei Ohtani
Almost everyone has heard of Shohei Ohtani. He’s The international star that took over the league. The dual-threat legend has not pitched in a while due to left knee inflammation, but nothing has stopped him from continuing to be one of, if not the best, players in baseball.
Photo Cred: Market Watch
Ohtani is currently tied for 13th in batting average at .291, tied for eighth in home runs with 30, tied for ninth in RBIs with 80, and seventh in OPS at .942, according to ESPN.Overall, Ohtani has better numbers in fewer at-bats than PCA, but that comes with the lack of stolen bases. Keep in mind, these numbers are coming solely from his work as a designated hitter. When Ohtani gets back on the mound, his MVP case could only become stronger.
Who Comes Out On Top?
Decisions, decisions. To claim that either of these players is going to win the NL MVP is an acceptable answer. According to the analytics and considering the potential factor of voter fatigue, the prediction for NL MVP is Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs. If Ohtani returns to the mound and pitches at the level expected of him, he could make an even stronger case for his fifth MVP. Until then, PCA is the pick.
