Cubs land two players in latest NL MVP rankings, but both miss the top spot

Is the NL MVP race already over? It would seem as though, according to MLB.com, Shohei Ohtani already has the honors in the bag. However, should things get more interesting as the season goes on, there are not one but two Chicago Cubs candidates in the top 5. The even bigger news here is that while Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong are both on the list, the order might be a bit surprising.

Both Crow-Armstrong and Tucker made the list for NL MVP award candidates. Tucker being on the list isn’t all that surprising, considering the Cubs specifically acquired him to give them MVP-caliber numbers. Crow-Armstrong, on the other hand, was coming off a decent if not fantastic rookie season and got off to a slow start. However, his 2025 season has taken off over the last month-and-a-half.

Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker climb MVP poll as Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani remains heavy favorite

This particular MVP race is determined by using a panel of 41 experts who cast votes based not just on performances so far, but also on how things are expected to play out between now and October. At the moment, Ohtani has 31 first-place votes, making him the runaway favorite.

However, a bit of a surprise comes into play in that the Cubs' center fielder is second. Crow-Armstrong has five of the remaining 10 first-place votes. Garnering fully half of the rest of the votes afforded to the rest of the field is quite something.

Coming in tied for third in the voting is Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll with two votes each. Tucker rounds out the Top 5 with the final first-place vote.

For his part, Tucker needs to get back from his jammed finger quickly if he wants to stay on the list, but for now, it appears that Crow-Armstrong has some staying power thanks to his home run power (15 home runs) and blazing speed on display whenever he reaches first base (21 steals).

Even if neither outfielder can overtake Ohtani by the end of the 2025 season, it’s incredibly refreshing to see two Chicago Cubs players legitimately in the MVP race after the fans had to suffer through some severe talent deficiencies in the last few seasons.