The 'MVP challenger' for Shohei Ohtani (31, Los Angeles Dodgers) has emerged. Pete Crow-Armstrong (23), the rising star of the Chicago Cubs known as 'PCA,' has already recorded a historic pace of 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases, threatening Ohtani's bid for a third consecutive MVP title and the fourth in history.
On the 11th (Korean time), Crow-Armstrong was a starting center fielder batting fourth during the away game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He contributed to the Cubs' 8-1 victory with a multi-home run performance, hitting his 24th and 25th homers and finishing 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs and 1 walk.
According to 'MLB.com,' Crow-Armstrong achieved 25-25 faster than all but three players in Major League history. He reached the milestone in 92 games, following Eric Davis (1987, 69 games) and Barry Bonds and Alfonso Soriano (both 91 games in 1973 and 2002 respectively). Last year, Ohtani achieved the unprecedented 50-50 record in 102 games.
As of that day, Crow-Armstrong has a batting average of .271 (98 hits in 361 at-bats), along with 25 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases, recording an OPS of .869 in 92 games this season. He has also accumulated an OAA of 15 in center field, demonstrating a significant contribution both offensively and defensively. His fWAR is 5.1, ranking first in the National League (NL), surpassing Ohtani's fWAR of 4.2. Including the American League (AL), he ranks third after Aaron Judge (New York Yankees, 7.2) and Cal Raleigh (Seattle Mariners, 5.8).
Despite his emergence as a strong MVP candidate, there are opinions that he cannot surpass Ohtani. The U.S. publication 'The Athletic' named Ohtani, not Crow-Armstrong, as the NL MVP in its midseason awards. Ohtani has a batting average of .279 (100 hits in 359 at-bats), with 31 home runs, 58 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, and an OPS of .993 in 92 games this season, while also recording a 1.50 ERA in 4 games (6 innings) as a pitcher without a win or loss.
Reporter Jason Stark noted, "When you give the same award to the same player for several years in a row, it naturally becomes boring. There's a vibe that people are getting tired of hearing that Ohtani is not an earthling, but an alien."
He added, "So I also tried to find reasons why Crow-Armstrong could legitimately claim to be the NL MVP in this selection process. But I'm sorry. There's not enough grounds for that" as he argued why Ohtani should receive the MVP.
Stark explained, "I know Ohtani doesn’t play defense. Excluding defense, Ohtani has a slugging percentage .070, OPS .150, and on-base percentage .080 higher than Crow-Armstrong. He has reached base almost 50 more times. I’m not sure if his defensive and baserunning capabilities can cover that difference in the WAR calculation, but I think they cannot."
He continued, "At the current pace, Ohtani will have one of the most exceptional seasons in history: 54 home runs, 12 triples, 153 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, and an OPS+ of 176. The only players who have come close to this record, excluding runs scored, are Babe Ruth and Ohtani. If we exclude stolen bases, only Willie Mays and Ohtani share that distinction. If we don’t exclude any categories, only Ohtani has had a season like this in history," emphasizing the unprecedented nature of his performance this season.
Stark also noted, "This season, Mookie Betts has not shown his skills, and Freddie Freeman has struggled since June. Therefore, Ohtani's offensive production is more important to the Dodgers than ever. Plus, he is a pitcher. Only one player in history, Ruth in 1918, has hit 10 or more home runs and pitched in the World Series in the same season. There might be a player who can qualify to receive the MVP trophy instead of Ohtani someday. But this year does not seem to be that year."
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