NL MVP Odds: Pete Crow-Armstrong Overtakes Shohei Ohtani as MVP Favorite

Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong had a huge game on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, homering twice and driving in four runs in a 7-6 win.

Now, he's the favorite to win the NL MVP.

Crow-Armstrong overtook Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani as the NL MVP favorite, as DraftKings Sportsbook currently has him set at -120 to win the award while Ohtani sits at even money (+100) heading into Thursday's action.

This is a massive movement from where these players stood at the All-Star break, as Ohtani was -1000 to win NL MVP while PCA was a distant second at +700. But, Crow-Armstrong's solid play since the break has helped him overtake Ohtani, even though the Dodgers star has been red hot over the last two weeks.

Based on the latest odds, it's shaping up to be a two-man race for the NL MVP.

Latest NL MVP Odds for 2026 Season

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Pete Crow-Armstrong: -120
Shohei Ohtani: +100
CJ Abrams: +10000
Kyle Schwarber: +15000
Jacob Misiorowski: +20000

Pete Crow-Armstrong Now Favored to Win NL MVP

Crow-Armstrong has put together an impressive 2026 season, and the Cubs are in a great spot to at least earn a wild card spot in the National League because of it.

PCA is hitting .288 with 26 home runs, 78 runs scored, 69 runs batted in, 28 stolen bases and a .938 OPS. He also has a 7.3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in the 2026 campaign. The Cubs star has really turned things on over the last two weeks, homering five times while posting a .327 batting average.

Chicago (plus-99 run differential) is now 17 games over .500, and remains in the mix for the best record in the National League, sitting just 5.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Crow-Armstrong now has a higher WAR than Ohtani this season, and he certainly has benefitted from the Dodgers star taking a break from pitching over the last several weeks. If that remains the case, PCA could end up winning his first-ever MVP as long as he closes out the season strong. The last two seasons have been a meteoric rise for the Cubs star, as he was ninth in the MVP voting in 2025 and is now a two-time All-Star.

Can Ohtani Still Win NL MVP?

The short answer is yes, Ohtani remains a clear MVP candidate in the 2026 season.

Howveer, if he's not going to pitch the rest of the way, or only throws limited innings, it does limit his appeal in this market.

Part of Crow-Armstrong's case is that he's an every-day center fielder that is pretty great on defense. That has helped him lead all of MLB in WAR.

Ohtani is only a designated hitter when he isn't pitching, and his WAR (6.4) remains behind PCA despite some strong pitching numbers from earlier in the season.

Now, Ohtani's hitting stats are still awesome, even though he's homered a lot less than in his first few seasons with the Dodgers. The two-way star is hitting .297 with 26 homers (same as PCA), 73 runs scored, 70 runs batted in, six stolen bases and a .954 OPS.

These two stars are pretty comparable on offense, which is why Ohtani's step away from the mound has lowered his odds in the MVP race.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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