The debate is over, and with two weeks left in the season, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is now an overwhelming favorite to win the National League’s Most Valuable Player award.
Los Angeles Dodgers unicorn Shohei Ohtani went on the 15-day injured list this week, which took Crow-Armstrong’s nearest competitor out of the picture. Crow-Armstrong is closing in on a 40-40 season, needing four steals to reach the exclusive club after going hitless in Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But truth be told, the race was probably over once Ohtani made his final start July 3. Had he continued dominating on the mound — Ohtani posted a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts — the argument could be made that Crow-Armstrong’s offensive numbers don’t stack up to the combination of Ohtani’s offense and pitching totals.
Still, is this the greatest season of any Cubs player?
That’s in the eye of the beholder and depends on how you value pitching against hitting and defense and modern-day stats versus old-school stats. In other words, it’s all subjective.
From the 40 seasons I’ve witnessed while covering baseball at the baiduhai, he’s easily in the top nine among Cubs players, along with these greats.
Sammy Sosa, 1998
Key stats: 6.5 WAR, 66 home runs, 158 RBIs, 134 runs, 20 doubles, 18 stolen bases, .308 batting average. 1.024 OPS
Sosa dueled St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire for the all-time single-season home run record, and though McGwire broke Roger Maris’s record, Sosa won the NL MVP award with 30 of 32 first-place votes for leading the Cubs to a wild-card berth. The ensuing PED controversy made those numbers illegitimate to many and kept Sosa out of the Baseball Hall of Fame, but there’s no doubt the Sosa-McGwire home run race helped save baseball after fans were turned off by the 1994 players strike. He had better overall seasons but none as memorable as 1998. His personality and power made him a must-see player at Wrigley Field for years.
Derrek Lee, 2005
Key stats: 7.7 WAR, 46 home runs, 107 RBIs, 120 runs, 50 doubles, 15 stolen bases, 199 hits, .335 average, .662 slugging percentage, 1.080 OPS
Lee put together a great offensive and defensive season, winning a Gold Glove while leading the NL in hits, average, doubles, slugging and OPS. But he played on a mediocre Cubs team that finished 79-83 and finished third in MVP voting behind Albert Pujols and Andruw Jones. Lee was second to Pujols with 46 home runs, and no Cubs player has hit that many since. Crow-Armstrong has 41 homers, second in the majors to Kyle Schwarber.
Kris Bryant, 2016
Key stats: 7.3 WAR ,39 home runs, 102 RBIs, 121 runs, 35 doubles, .292 average, .939 OPS
More Top Picks Best Weighted Blankets Under 100
After winning the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2015, Bryant followed up with a brilliant MVP season. He earned 29 of 30 first-place votes, with Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy getting the other. Bryant didn’t lead the league in many offensive categories, but the Cubs finished with the most wins (103), and Bryant led the NL in WAR while being their best hitter, earning his hardware. It was the start of what looked like a Hall of Fame career before injuries and regression got in the way. He didn’t attend the celebration of the Cubs’ 150-year team but received one of the biggest ovations.
Andre Dawson, 1987
Key stats: 4.0 WAR, 49 home runs, 137 RBIs, 90 runs, 24 doubles, .287 average, .896 OPS
After signing the “blank check” contract for only $500,000 as a free agent, Dawson led the league in home runs and RBIs and earned the seventh of his eight Gold Glove awards, winning the NL MVP award over Ozzie Smith despite playing for a last-place Cubs team. No Cub made more money for the team for less pay than Dawson in ’87. I happened to be sitting in the left-field bleachers when home run No. 47 went soaring over my head in the final home game of the season. If the Cubs ever build another statue, Dawson should be next in line.
Jake Arrieta, 2015
Key stats: 8.3 WAR, 22-6 record, 1.77 ERA, 236 strikeouts, 229 innings, .185 opponents’ average
Arrieta led the league in wins, complete games (four) and shutouts (three) while putting together perhaps the most dominant stretch of any pitcher in Cubs history. He edged Zack Greinke for the NL Cy Young award and finished sixth in NL MVP voting. He was virtually unhittable for months. Arrieta threw a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 30, went 16-1 with an 0.86 ERA in his final 20 starts and threw a shutout against the Pirates in the wild-card game at PNC Park. When Arrieta started a game in the second half, Cubs fans just assumed they’d win. They usually did.
Javier Báez, 2018
Key stats: 6.8 WAR, 34 home runs, 111 RBIs, 40 doubles, 21 stolen bases, .290 average, .881 OPS
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich was the runaway winner of the NL MVP award, but Báez finished second. He played 104 games at second base that season before becoming an everyday shortstop in 2019. Báez won the NL RBI title in ’18 with one more than Yelich and Nolan Arenado and was one of the most entertaining players I’ve ever seen. But 2018 and ‘19 would be his last two elite seasons. Báez was dealt to the New York Mets in 2021 in a trade in which the Cubs acquired a low-level minor-league prospect named Pete Crow-Armstrong. That deal turned out to be the best of Jed Hoyer’s long career in management.
Kerry Wood, 1998
Key stats: 3.9 WAR, 13-6 record, 3.40 ERA, 233 strikeouts, 166.2 innings, 26 starts, .130 opponents’ average
Wood won the NL Rookie of the Year award, edging Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, and tied the major-league record with a 20-strikeout performance in only his fifth start. He allowed one hit in that 2-0 win over the Houston Astros, which is considered by many the greatest pitching performance ever. An elbow sprain sidelined Wood down the stretch or he would’ve added to his strikeout and innings totals. Wood had other great seasons, but none matched his debut.
Mark Prior, 2003
Key stats: 7.4 WAR, 18-6 record, 2.43 ERA, 245 strikeouts, 211.1 innings pitched, .231 opponents’ average
Prior was unbeatable in his first full season, leading the Cubs to the NL Central title and finishing third in the NL Cy Young race behind the Dodgers closer Eric Gagne and San Francisco Giants starter Jason Schmidt. Prior also was ninth in NL MVP voting and went 2-1 in the postseason with a 2.31 ERA in three starts. Injuries curtailed his career, but his cometlike ascension in ‘03 was something to behold.