Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez were named Most Valuable Player in their leagues Thursday night. Both won unanimously.

Crow-Armstrong took all 30 first-place votes in the National League. Four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani finished second and Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang was third.

In the American League, Alvarez beat out Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

A first for baseball

The night capped a historic awards week. New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler and Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski were unanimous Cy Young winners on Wednesday. This is the first season in which both MVPs and both Cy Young winners were unanimous. Schlittler also finished fourth in the AL MVP voting.

From ninth to first

Crow-Armstrong, 24, hit .280 with 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases. He also won a Gold Glove and led both leagues with 10.6 fWAR. He is the 25th unanimous MVP in history and the first Cub to win the award since Kris Bryant in 2016.

He opened the season near the bottom of the order, often batting ninth. Manager Craig Counsell moved him to leadoff in mid-May because the offense was struggling and needed a spark. Crow-Armstrong hit .300 with a .398 on-base percentage from the top spot. He also drew 83 walks after totaling just 29 the year before.

Alvarez bounces back

Alvarez, 29, nearly won the Triple Crown. He led the AL with a .316 average and finished second with 42 home runs and 106 RBIs. He also topped the majors with 109 walks and a .432 on-base percentage, 46 points better than anyone else.

It was a huge turnaround after he played just 48 games in 2025 because of a wrist fracture and a sprained ankle. He played 158 games this year for the playoff-bound Astros and was named Comeback Player of the Year on Wednesday.

Alvarez is the 31st player to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP. He is the third Astro to win MVP after Jeff Bagwell in 1994 and Jose Altuve in 2017.