Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was named baseball's National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday, ending Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's two-year reign.

The 24-year old was a unanimous selection ahead of Ohtani and Brice Turang of the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers, earning all 30 first-place votes from a panel of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez won the American League award, becoming the fourth Cuban to earn MVP honours.

Crow-Armstrong delivered one of the best all-around seasons in MLB history, tying Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead in home runs with 45 and finishing second in the National League in stolen bases with 41.

He became the seventh player in history with a 40-40 season and joined Ohtani (2024) and Alfonso Soriano (2006) as the only players to have at least 45 home runs, 40 steals and 30 doubles in one year.

Crow-Armstrong played 162 games, piling up 107 runs-batted-in with 83 walks and scoring 119 runs.

He joins an illustrious list of Cubs players to win the award, including Ernie Banks in 1958 and 1959, Ryne Sandberg in 1984, Sammy Sosa in 1998 and, most recently Kris Bryant in 2016.

"I don't even know where to put myself in all that," said Crow-Armstrong, flanked by family as he spoke on the MLB Network's award presentation ceremony.

"I've been so lucky to be around such great Cubs and even more than that just really big people and names in the game of baseball.

"I'm happy to be able to carry on their legacy," he said. (AFP)


Edited by Aaron Tam