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🇰🇷 South Korea /Sports

Ohtani's path to fourth straight MVP blocked by PCA?

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Sources not specified Context piece
  • Shohei Ohtani faces a strong MVP challenge from Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (PCA), who excels in offense, defense, and baserunning.
  • PCA leads the league in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) according to both Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs, surpassing Ohtani even with his pitching contributions.
  • Ohtani's MVP bid is hampered by a lack of pitching due to injury, while Aaron Judge is out of contention due to his own injury.

Shohei Ohtani's pursuit of an unprecedented fourth consecutive MVP award faces a significant hurdle in the form of Chicago Cubs sensation Pete Crow-Armstrong, widely known as PCA. While Ohtani has been a dominant force in Major League Baseball, PCA has emerged as a leading candidate, particularly in the National League, by showcasing a rare combination of elite offense, defense, and baserunning.

PCA has a complete set of offense, defense, and baserunning, which modern baseball considers ideal for an outfielder.

— UnknownDescribing Pete Crow-Armstrong's all-around skills.

PCA's rise has been meteoric. The young outfielder is challenging for a 40-homer, 40-stolen base season, currently standing at 33 home runs and 32 stolen bases. More impressively, he leads the league in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) according to both Baseball-Reference (bWAR) and FanGraphs (fWAR). This comprehensive metric, which measures a player's total contribution, places PCA ahead of Ohtani, even when Ohtani's pitching value is included.

PCA is currently running first overall in both bWAR and fWAR.

— UnknownHighlighting PCA's leading position in advanced metrics.

Ohtani's MVP campaign has been complicated by a left rib fatigue fracture that has sidelined him as a pitcher since July 4. While he has continued to perform as a hitter, achieving 30 home runs and 10 stolen bases in that span, his inability to contribute on the mound has diminished his unique two-way appeal, which was a significant factor in his previous MVP wins. If Ohtani were to complete a full pitching season, he might have held a stronger position against PCA.

If Ohtani had completed his pitching season as planned, he might have had an advantage over PCA in the MVP race.

— UnknownSpeculating on how Ohtani's pitching performance could have impacted the MVP race.

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, a previous MVP winner, is effectively out of the running due to a toe fracture. This leaves the MVP race open, with PCA emerging as a frontrunner. The American League MVP race is also heating up, with Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros being a top contender due to his league-leading batting average, home runs, and RBIs. However, Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals presents a strong case with his superior defense and baserunning, leading Alvarez in WAR.

WAR is just a reference index. A high WAR doesn't guarantee an MVP.

— UnknownEmphasizing that WAR is not the sole determinant of MVP.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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