Cubs' finale vs Dodgers featured Pete Crow-Armstrong, Shohei Ohtani defining NL MVP conversation

The Chicago Cubs capped off their three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon, and the game featured National League MVP favorites Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani going blow for blow.

Ohtani led the game off with a home run off Shota Imanaga, and Crow-Armstrong immediately responded with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. When all was said and done, Crow-Armstrong had a 3-5 day with two home runs, one double, and four RBI. Ohtani, meanwhile, also had three hits of his own, including two home runs.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani turned Cubs -Dodgers finale into MVP showcase

As Shohei Ohtani has been sidelined from pitching due to a lingering knee issue, it's fueled the idea that Crow-Armstrong may be able to do the unthinkable and steal the National League MVP Award away from the Dodgers' superstar. Even framing it in that light doesn't give Crow-Armstrong the justice he deserves.

Crow-Armstrong has been the better player of the two this season. Crow-Armstrong enters Thursday with a bWAR of 7.3, Ohtani is at 6.4. Crow-Armstrong and Ohtani each have 26 home runs on the season, while Ohtani has one more RBI than his counterpart. Outside of batting average and on-base percentage, most of the other offensive metrics only have a marginal difference between the two players.

The difference, right now, is that Crow-Armstrong is also the best defensive player in baseball while playing a premium position. If Ohtani was pitching, the conversation would be different. But, for right now, Crow-Armstrong should be considered the true favorite to be the National League MVP.

While talk of Crow-Armstrong potentially winning the MVP has gained steam, the 24-year-old is staying to true to form and focusing on doing what's best for the team. Of course, he also quipped that he may need to work on his pitching.

“I would be crazy to say I don’t want to win an MVP,” Crow-Armstrong told reporters. “But if we’re talking about having priorities straight, mine are pretty straight. It’s not on the forefront of my mind. It’s fun to joke about, it’s fun to acknowledge and it’s absolutely OK to pay attention to. But it’s not following me up to the plate. But if you guys want to talk about all this back and forth, I really should go get in the lab and start pitching.”

If nothing else, this season from Crow-Armstrong is instant validation for the team's urgency to sign him to a six-year extension worth $115 million at the start of the season. Suddenly, that contract looks like a steal moving forward for the Cubs.

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