In what could foreshadow the outcome of the MVP race, the Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez and Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong were named by their peers as the Outstanding Players in their respective leagues.
Crow-Armstrong was the overall Player of the Year in the MLB Players Association's annual Players Choice Awards.
Here's the full list of winners:
- Player of the Year: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
- Outstanding Player (AL): Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
- Outstanding Player (NL): Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
- Outstanding Pitcher (AL): Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees
- Outstanding Pitcher (NL): Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers
- Outstanding Rookie (AL): Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers
- Outstanding Rookie (NL): Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds
- Comeback Player (AL): Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
- Comeback Player (NL): Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
- Marvin Miller Man of the Year: Chris Bassitt, Baltimore Orioles
- Philanthropist of the Year: Jake Burger, Texas Rangers
- Curt Flood Award: David Cone
For a big chunk of the 2026 season, there was passionate debate about whether Crow-Armstrong or Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani was the better MVP candidate in the National League.
There may not be much doubt anymore after injuries impacted Ohtani's performance in the second half.
Crow-Armstrong combined elite defense in center field with an MLB-best 45 home runs and an NL-high .570 slugging percentage.
It was a somewhat similar situation in the AL.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is first among position players in WAR (7.0) at FanGraphs. Alvarez follows closely behind with 6.8 WAR. And in the case of Witt, a lot of his MVP candidacy came down to his defense and baserunning. He hit a career-low 18 homers and slugged .441.
Alvarez led MLB in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.432) and slugging (.601). He was also second in the AL behind Pete Alonso in home runs (42) and RBI (106).
Those impressive numbers could see the Astros slugger at the top of the MVP ballot.
Among the major races, Rookie of the Year for the NL might be the only one with some uncertainty.
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart had 32 home runs and 111 RBI but slugged .457 and had a 117 OPS+. His 2.0 WAR on FanGraphs speaks for itself. Stewart wasn't a good defender and his home run total obscures his offensive value.
The MLBPA awards point to the outcome a lot of fans are at least expecting.
New York Mets rookies Nolan McLean (3.5) and Carson Benge (4.3) both eclipsed Stewart in WAR. That may not matter much. Players around MLB clearly weren't swayed.
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was miffed to get overlooked for an All-Star nod when this year's game was in his home ballpark. Now, he at least has some hardware to show for his efforts in 2026.
Having recovered from thoracic outlet decompression surgery, the right-hander went 14-5 with a 3.00 ERA and 3.35 FIP. He averaged 10-plus strikeouts per nine innings for the third straight season.
Wheeler made an impressive comeback from his medical ordeal.
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