PHILADELPHIA — What will it take for someone to win the National League MVP award over Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani?
Does it even feel possible in a year when Ohtani is hitting and pitching?
As the second half of the season resumes Friday, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong — with his 6.0 fWAR to lead all MLB position players — is currently the strongest contender to prevent Ohtani from winning his third consecutive NL MVP award.
Crow-Armstrong, who singled in his only at-bat Tuesday during the NL’s 4-0 loss in the All-Star Game, almost laughed at the thought.
“I was telling a few of the guys earlier, like, man, I would love to dethrone him,” Crow-Armstrong said Tuesday, “but I don’t know how you do it unless I go to one of the pitching labs in the offseason. I’ll go be a closer or something and see how that helps my odds.
“But, nah, that guy’s a freak. So maybe once he stops being a little freaky or if some of these people who’ve gone and had at-bats against him want to raise the ERA a little bit, that’d help me out. But, nah, man, I don’t really ever think about that. He’s a freak.”
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For as much as Crow-Armstrong’s dominant offensive performance earned him a spot in the All-Star Game as a reserve, his defense in center field continues to set the standard in the majors.
All-Star MVP Cody Bellinger of the New York Yankees has watched his former Cubs teammate establish himself as one of baseball’s best. Bellinger played alongside Crow-Armstrong when the latter earned his first big-league call-up in September 2023 and as the then-rookie spent most of 2024 in the majors.
“He’s done tremendous,” Bellinger said Monday. “Obviously we knew the athleticism, just the type of character guy he is. He’s hardworking, he’s driven, he’s motivated, and for me, just the at-bat quality, the power, it’s just been incredible to watch.
“I never played (center field) that well. No, he’s seriously the best. He is the best defender in the game. He gets to some balls that none of us even get to. He’s got a crazy good arm and the feel that he has against the walls and the IQ out there is special.”
Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper described Crow-Armstrong as one of his favorite players. Harper preached the importance of having players with Crow-Armstrong’s personality type.
“I love it. I mean, obviously, I’m the type of guy to do those things as well,” Harper told the Tribune on Tuesday. “When I first came up, it was not the way the game was, right? So it was a little tough. But he’s coming up in a little bit of a different generation.
“But he respects the game too. Like, people don’t understand. You can be that way and still respect the game and still play hard, and he does all those things. You might see a little bit of attitude here and there, but that’s OK. He cares. He understands the game. He’s smart. He’s a great kid and a lot of fun to watch.
“I’d take nine Pete Crow-Armstrongs on my team just for that reason.”
Munetaka Murakami hopes to stay on the South Side long term.
White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami wasn’t safe from Phillies fans’ boos.
He wasn’t caught off guard, though. As the Home Run Derby introductions Monday night worked their way through the eight-hitter lineup, Murakami — near the end of the group being brought out onto the field one by one — knew what to expect.
“I wasn’t the first one up, so I was kind of looking forward to the boos,” Murakami said Tuesday through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “Obviously it was a surprising move, so it was a different feeling going into it.”
The Home Run Derby atmosphere left a lasting impression on Murakami. He joined Ohtani as the only Japanese-born players to participate in the Derby. His experience lasted only the opening round, as he finished fifth with nine home runs; the top four advanced. Murakami’s home runs averaged 421 feet, with his longest going 466.
He became the seventh Sox player to compete in the event, joining Hall of Famers Carlton Fisk (1985) and Frank Thomas (1994 and 1995), Paul Konerko (2002), Jermaine Dye (2006), Todd Frazier (2016) and Luis Robert Jr. (2023).
“I really enjoyed it,” Murakami said. “A rookie in the league, I hope I can prove myself, that I belong here.”
Murakami entered the All-Star Game in the top of the seventh at first base and had the challenge of facing the Padres’ sensational closer, Mason Miller, for the first time in his lone at-bat. Miller bested Murakami on four pitches, striking him out with a 101.5 mph fastball.
“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” Murakami said of signing with the Sox. “We’re a winning squad, so we’re just going to keep continuing that.”
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Murakami, under contract through next season, made clear he’s interested in staying with the Sox long term. A team-friendly discount to remain on the South Side isn’t a priority right now.
“At the end of the day, looking at the career, if it fits the option of what I do in the future, maybe that would be an option,” Murakami said. “But I’m not saying anything right now.”
Miguel Vargas is part of history
Miguel Vargas thought the ball he smoked to right-center field in the fifth inning Tuesday would fall for his first All-Star Game hit.
Instead, the Sox third baseman had to watch Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages — a fellow native of La Habana, Cuba — snag the barreled ball to end the inning. The 104.3 mph liner couldn’t find grass despite a .540 expected average.
“He should be more of a friend of mine and let that drop for a hit, just in the All-Star (Game),” a grinning Vargas said. “He can catch that during the season.”
Vargas made sure during his next at-bat in the eighth that the ball didn’t go anywhere it could be run down. His no-doubt, 433-foot home run to left field extended the American League lead. Vargas got the ball back from the fan who caught it.
“I’m not surprised at all,” said Sox teammate Tristan Peters, who struck out in his lone at-bat. “I mean, if anybody’s going to hit a homer in the All-Star Game, it’s going to be him. … It was a bomb. It went so far, it was majestic.”
Vargas’ home run represented the only extra-base hit of the night. Only two Sox, Magglio Ordóñez in 2001 and Thomas in 1995, had homered in an All-Star Game.“I just try to compete at the highest level,” Vargas said. “I have no words to describe this moment. An unbelievable moment for me and my family.”
Vargas was among a record seven Cuban-born players to play in Tuesday’s game, surpassing the previous mark (six) set in 1968.
“I mean this with the bottom of my heart because I know how hard (it is) for all the Cuban players to get this opportunity and be in the biggest stage,” Vargas said. “Sharing the moment with them is unbelievable.”