His old school numbers showed 45 homers and 41 steals, making him the first 40-40 club member since Shohei Ohtani in 2024.  But for a new-school player like PCA, the 10.6 Wins Above Replacement (or WAR) number is the best way to summarize his game. Not only did that mark lead MLB, it was 3.6 wins higher than the next-closest player, Kansas City’s Bobby Witt, Jr. It ‘s the first time since 1954 (Mickey Mantle over Duke Snider) that a gap of at least 3.0 WAR separated the No. 1 and No. 2 players in that category.

Crow-Armstrong finished the season with the MLB leads in total bases (357), extra-base hits (84) and runs scored (119). And he joined Ohtani and Alfonso Soriano as the only 40-40 club members to also have at least 30 doubles.

It was a season full of seemingly dazzling catches and late-game heroics. Crow-Armstrong hit for a cycle, belted three homers in one game, had a game against the White Sox with both a leadoff and walkoff homer and topped Billy Williams’ longstanding Cubs mark for homers in a season by a lefty batter.

Crow-Armstrong is the first unanimous MVP for the Cubs, whose previous winners were Kris Bryant (2016), Sammy Sosa (1998), Andre Dawson (‘87), Ryne Sandberg (‘84), Ernie Banks (1958-59), Hank Sauer (‘52), Phil Cavarretta (‘45) and Gabby Hartnett (‘35).