There is still plenty of time for the 2026 National League MVP race to shift, but Sammy Sosa made his preference clear on Thursday: Pete Crow-Armstrong, not Shohei Ohtani, is the player he believes deserves the award.
Sosa delivered that view while walking the red carpet at the Harold & Carole Pump Foundation 26th Anniversary Celebrity Dinner, adding a former Cubs star’s voice to a race that already has Crow-Armstrong viewed as a slight favorite. On Thursday morning, The Post’s Jon Heyman gave the edge to the Cubs’ star outfielder, and Sosa’s comments only sharpened the conversation around the award.
That does not mean Ohtani is suddenly out of the picture. Sosa was careful to acknowledge just how rare the Dodgers’ must-see two-way player remains, saying, “Shohei Ohtani is one of the greatest.” He added, “Nobody is going to take that away from him. But I believe that this year, the MVP is looking to Chi Town, Chicago.”
The case for Crow-Armstrong is built on the kind of season that forces people to look past reputation and toward production. He has 31 home runs, 31 stolen bases and a.279 batting average across 128 games, a blend of power, speed and consistency that gives the award case real weight. Sosa summed it up by saying, “I’d have to say Pete has a lot of opportunity, a lot of possibility to be an MVP the way he’s been carrying the team; the way he’s been having the year that he’s been having.”
Ohtani, of course, is still Ohtani. The story around him is never just one thing, and this year that means elite hitting paired with All-Star-level pitching. He has 30 home runs, seven stolen bases and a.291 batting average in 118 contests, which is why the race remains close rather than settled.
What makes this debate interesting is not simply that both players have strong numbers. It is that they define value in different ways. Ohtani brings the singular appeal of a player who can impact a game on both sides of the ball. Crow-Armstrong offers something more traditional but still highly compelling: an all-around season, plus centerfield defense that has arguably been the best in the league.
That is the real tension in this MVP discussion. Ohtani is still one of the sport’s defining talents, but Crow-Armstrong’s case is built on the full shape of a season, not just one overwhelming tool. If the award ultimately swings toward Chicago, Sosa’s public endorsement will look less like nostalgia and more like a veteran recognizing the profile of a true MVP season.
