Analyst cites pitching as argument against Pete Crow-Armstrong’s MVP chances

The Chicago Cubs are making a push to try and catch the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central race as the month of August heats up. Coming off a trade deadline in which the Cubs focused on acquiring pitching, they are hoping it can help take them far in the postseason.

But right now, the bat and defense of Pete Crow-Armstrong has been the biggest story as he’s making a push for the NL MVP award.

Crow-Armstrong has been fantastic as of late, putting together one of the best seasons in baseball so far. He’s put himself not only in the MVP race but as of now, he’s the betting favorite. With Shohei Ohtani being the other contender, we are heading for a fun race to end the regular season.

And everyone has their opinions on who it should be. That includes some MLB Network analysts who broke down the race and who should be the winner. One of the arguments however revolves around pitching and Ohtani’s advantage with that.

MLB analysts use ERA for NL MVP discussion between Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani

During a segment on MLB Network, former MLB player and current analyst Harold Reynolds asked a question during the debate and pointed to PCA not being a pitcher like Ohtani is:

“I think a lot of it is moving up in the lineup. I understand the swing change and all of that. But what I don’t see on any graphic with PCA, what is his ERA?” Reynolds said in the segment.  “How many innings did he pitch? How many did he strike out? The man didn’t pitch!”

There was push back from host Greg Amsinger who pointed out that Crow-Armstrong is the best defensive center fielder in all of baseball. The debate continued as Amsinger asked what is more important, 85 innings or the best defensive center fielder in the game?

“What about the greatest 85 innings you saw? You were comparing him to Bob Gibson,” Reynolds said. “You were comparing him to every Hall of Famer who picked up a baseball to pitch. That’s the caliber he [Ohtani] threw.”

You can watch the full segment below:

Harold and @CY24_7 debate over the NL MVP race after Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani each slugged two homers in today’s matinee.

“What is [PCA's] ERA?” pic.twitter.com/xZ5mZkQme3

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 5, 2026

Ohtani’s pitching will be a factor in the voting when it comes time for it and the advantage for Ohtani is there. But he only threw 85 innings and while he was really darn good, if Crow-Armstrong can get to a 40/40 season, it would be a HUGE boost for his resume.

No center fielder has been able to hit that mark. Add in the fact that he’s the best defensive center fielder in baseball and it sounds like that should be enough. It just feels silly to base the argument on pitching.

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