Shohei Ohtani loses NL MVP lead to rising Cubs superstar

Shohei Ohtani loses NL MVP lead to rising Cubs superstar originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Shohei Ohtani’s pursuit of another National League MVP award suddenly has a serious obstacle. Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has passed Ohtani as the front-runner in ESPN’s latest MLB Awards Watch.

Crow-Armstrong earned a 163.3 rating in ESPN writer Bradford Doolittle’s AXE system, giving him a noticeable advantage over Ohtani’s 154.7. No other National League player received a rating above 134. The result does not mean the voting is finished. It does confirm that the NL MVP race has become a legitimate two-player battle.

“Now it feels as if this is Crow-Armstrong’s race to lose, even if Ohtani returns to the mound soon,” Doolittle wrote in ESPN’s updated awards analysis.

That is an extraordinary development considering the historic two-way season Ohtani appeared to be building before his latest injury.

Crow-Armstrong isn’t attempting to beat Ohtani with offense alone. The Cubs star has combined elite production at the plate with outstanding baserunning and the best center-field defense in baseball. Crow-Armstrong recently became the first player in Cubs history to record consecutive 30-home run, 30-stolen base seasons. He entered the final week of August batting .281 with a .379 on-base percentage and .550 slugging percentage.

He also had 25 doubles, 78 RBIs and a career-high 66 walks. His defense might be even more impressive. Crow-Armstrong entered Monday leading MLB with 24 fielding runs and 22 outs above average, according to Statcast. Those numbers have allowed him to create value in virtually every part of the game.

Ohtani, by comparison, has been limited to designated hitter duties for more than seven weeks. He has remained an elite offensive player, but his inability to pitch has removed a major part of what initially made his season appear untouchable.

The shift first became visible in the betting markets on Aug. 5, when Crow-Armstrong and Ohtani traded memorable home runs during a head-to-head series at Wrigley Field.

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Writing off Ohtani would be foolish. The Dodgers superstar has reached 30 home runs for the sixth consecutive season and remains capable of producing an offensive stretch that completely changes the race.

Ohtani also could return to the mound before the regular season ends. Even a handful of strong pitching appearances would restore an element Crow-Armstrong cannot match. The Dodgers’ uneven play could create another opportunity.

If Ohtani powers Los Angeles to a strong finish while Chicago fades, voters might be drawn back toward the four-time MVP. Crow-Armstrong also must avoid the prolonged offensive slumps that hurt him earlier in his career.

For now, however, the advantage belongs to Chicago’s center fielder. Crow-Armstrong has matched one of baseball’s greatest offensive players while running the bases better and playing elite defense at a premium position.

Ohtani is no longer chasing history without resistance. He is chasing Pete Crow-Armstrong.

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