Pete Crow-Armstrong is named Baseball America’s MLB Player of the Year

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been named Baseball America’s MLB Player of the Year. The honor comes after a dominant 2026 campaign where he led all Major League Baseball hitters with 45 home runs, 119 runs, 84 extra-base hits, and 357 total bases across all 162 regular-season games.

Crow-Armstrong also tallied 107 RBIs, 41 stolen bases, and led the National League with a .570 slugging percentage and .943 OPS. Writer Al Yellon notes that Crow-Armstrong is also a leading candidate for the NL MVP and is nominated for the Hank Aaron Award.