{"id":38441,"date":"2026-08-11T11:12:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T06:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=38441"},"modified":"2026-08-11T11:12:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T06:12:52","slug":"can-pete-crow-armstrong-outduel-shohei-ohtani-for-nl-mvp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=38441","title":{"rendered":"Can Pete Crow-Armstrong outduel Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Jon Heyman, the national baseball voice of The Score, probably needs a hug.<\/p>\n<p>My friend and longtime colleague, who also works for MLB Network and the New York Post, has firmly established himself as the loudest voice on anti-WAR sentiment in the MVP battle between Los Angeles Dodgers unicorn Shohei Ohtani and Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.<\/p>\n<p>Heyman wasn\u2019t discrediting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/07\/14\/chicago-cubs-pete-crow-armstrong-all-star-season\/\">Crow-Armstrong\u2019s brilliant season<\/a> but simply pointing out that the two players\u2019 offensive numbers are similar, yet the WAR metric favors PCA because of his fielding and baserunning. Ohtani also has the second-lowest ERA of any pitcher with 85 or more innings, which doesn\u2019t seem to move the WAR needle like the other intangibles do for Crow-Armstrong.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a fascinating race that could go down to the wire.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a ways to go, and four-time MVP Ohtani is starting to get his arm back into pitching mode, likely to get ready for the postseason because the Dodgers don\u2019t really need him to win the National League West.<\/p>\n<p>Crow-Armstrong has 30 stolen bases, and with 26 home runs he\u2019s likely to repeat his 30-30 season from 2025, with better all-around numbers due to his newfound respect for taking a walk, which wasn\u2019t previously part of his game. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/07\/30\/chicago-cubs-pete-crow-armstrong-kevin-kiermaier\/\">Another Gold Glove is a lock<\/a>, and it should be his third straight had he not been robbed in 2024, when current Chicago White Sox outfielder Brenton Doyle won it playing for the Colorado Rockies.<\/p>\n<p>Ohtani fatigue could factor in with BBWAA voters, just as three-time NBA MVP Nikola Joki\u0107 of the Denver Nuggets was allegedly penalized in voting for winning too much and making excellence look too easy.<\/p>\n<p>Whoever wins, the debate is good for baseball, for the Cubs and Dodgers and for both players, whose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/08\/05\/cubs-dodgers-pete-crow-armstrong-shohei-ohtani\/\">MVP duel in the sunshine<\/a>  Wednesday at Wrigley Field was one for the ages.<\/p>\n<h4>We can be popes, just for one day<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_39217216\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone size-article_inline\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"The White Sox will give away 40,000-plus team-branded hats that resemble a pope's mitre a tip of the hat, one might say, to Pope Leo XIV's Chicago roots and White Sox fandom. (Darren Georgia\/Chicago White Sox)\" width=\"6000\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-WHITE-SOX-POPE-HAT-01.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" data-attachment-id=\"39217216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-WHITE-SOX-POPE-HAT-01.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-WHITE-SOX-POPE-HAT-01.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-WHITE-SOX-POPE-HAT-01.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-WHITE-SOX-POPE-HAT-01.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-WHITE-SOX-POPE-HAT-01.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The White Sox will give away 40,000-plus team-branded hats that resemble a pope&#8217;s mitre \u2014 a tip of the hat, one might say, to Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s Chicago roots and White Sox fandom. (Darren Georgia\/Chicago White Sox)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Pope Hat Day at White Sox Park arrives Tuesday night, and the Sox are pulling out all the stops, including inviting former reliever \u201cThe Pope\u201d Donn Pall to the pregame ceremonies. Seats are sold out, but standing-room tickets were available Monday \u2014 or kneeling room, if you\u2019re so inclined.<\/p>\n<p>The Sox are even taking a page from the Catholic Mass and asking fans to say, \u201cPeace be with you,\u201d to each other during the fifth inning, calling it \u201ca playful nod to the Catholic Mass tradition.\u201d I\u2019m not sure what they\u2019re referring to, but a \u201cplayful nod\u201d during Mass usually led to five Hail Marys and two Our Fathers in confession back when I was in grade school.<\/p>\n<p>The Sox also got the timing wrong. Any Catholic grade school student can tell you the \u201cPeace be with you\u201d part is basically the seventh-inning stretch of Mass, signaling it\u2019s almost over and time to go play.<\/p>\n<h4>Buehrle being Buehrle<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_39761627\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone size-article_inline\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Former White Sox players, from left, Mark Buehrle, Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski look on as former Sox shortstop and manager Ozzie Guillen speaks during his jersey retirement ceremony before a game against the Guardians on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)\" width=\"4631\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians057.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" data-attachment-id=\"39761627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians057.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians057.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians057.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians057.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians057.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former White Sox players, from left, Mark Buehrle, Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski look on as former Sox shortstop and manager Ozzie Guillen speaks during his jersey retirement ceremony before a game against the Guardians on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Former Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle had 14 straight seasons of 200 or more innings and missed that yardstick in his final season of 2015 with 198 2\/3. He never has come close to getting in on the Hall of Fame ballot, though I keep picking him anyway, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2025\/01\/26\/column-mark-buehrle-was-a-one-of-a-kind-pitcher-for-the-chicago-white-sox-and-enjoyed-a-few-beers-on-an-epic-ride\/\">hoping his career numbers grow in appreciation<\/a> along with his two no-hitters, including a perfect game.<\/p>\n<p>In comparison, Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara might be the only starter this season with 200 or more innings, though a handful of others might get over the line with strong finishes. This continues the trend toward fewer innings for elite starters, fueled by stricter pitch counts. Buehrle always wanted to go seven innings or more and throw 120 or so pitches, which is crazy talk now.<\/p>\n<p>When I saw Buehrle on Saturday at the Ozzie Guill\u00e9n number retirement ceremony, I asked if the current trend might help his candidacy with Hall of Fame voters, knowing what he did never will happen again.<\/p>\n<p>Not surprisingly, his answer was \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou look at 20 years before I played, and it was different than what it is now,\u201d he said. \u201cLike, 200 innings, 20 years before I played, was (crap). If you didn\u2019t throw 400 innings \u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo it\u2019s just the way the game is changing. I\u2019ve said it before, if I was playing right now, I wouldn\u2019t survive this game. I don\u2019t even think I would\u2019ve gotten drafted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That seemed a little harsh to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lefty throwing 85 miles an hour?\u201d he replied. \u201cI\u2019m just saying you wouldn\u2019t be scouted, you wouldn\u2019t be drafted. It\u2019s just the way the game has changed. If you aren\u2019t throwing 90-something, you don\u2019t get looked at.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s sad to realize he\u2019s probably right. And it\u2019s very Buehrle-ish to downplay his own candidacy in this Trumpian age of self-congratulations for the slightest accomplishment.<\/p>\n<h4>Happy ending<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_39754526\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone size-article_inline\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Former White Sox shortstop and manager Ozzie Guill\u00e9n acknowledges the crowd during his jersey retirement ceremony before a game against the Guardians on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)\" width=\"6000\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians006.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" data-attachment-id=\"39754526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians006.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians006.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians006.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians006.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians006.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former White Sox shortstop and manager Ozzie Guill\u00e9n acknowledges the crowd during his jersey retirement ceremony before a game against the Guardians on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026,  at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I learned how to write at the University of Missouri and how to write a newspaper column from my former Tribune boss, Mike Royko. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2007\/09\/19\/recalling-king-of-cub-fans-mike-royko\/\">The legendary columnist<\/a> always stressed the importance of a strong ending to his columns and had the ability and confidence to write backward, meaning he often came up with the ending first before going back to the lede. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2022\/04\/28\/take-a-look-back-at-mike-roykos-chicago-tribune-columns-on-the-25th-anniversary-of-his-death\/\">No one did it better.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I mention that to point out my column on Guill\u00e9n\u2019s number retirement ended badly in Sunday\u2019s print editions with an incomplete sentence: \u201cGuill\u00e9n has no filter, which often got him into hot water and made him some enemies along the\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To make a long story short, a production snafu inadvertently lopped off several paragraphs.<\/p>\n<p>The Chicago Tribune regrets the error.<\/p>\n<p>The complete column on the Guill\u00e9n tribute <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/08\/08\/chicago-white-sox-ozzie-guillen-number-retirement\/\">is available on the Tribune\u2019s website<\/a> and was in the Sunday print edition of the Daily Herald \u2014 the world\u2019s greatest suburban newspaper \u2014 which our hedge fund overlords recently acquired.<\/p>\n<p>So apologies if you already read it, but as Paul Harvey would say, here\u2019s the rest of the story \u2026<\/p>\n<p>Guill\u00e9n has no filter, which often got him in hot water and made him some enemies along the way. But he was made-for-Chicago, always laughing, arguing, trading insults and hugging it out afterwards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe fit the fan base here,\u201d former Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski told me. \u201cA player, manager and broadcaster all in the same city for the same team. That\u2019s the ultimate dream of any player. He just fit. The fans got him, and they understood him. White Sox fans are hardworking fans that expect the same out of their players. What Ozzie brought here, he talked a little trash, made some jokes. That\u2019s all you need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No reporter could walk away from Guill\u00e9n\u2019s pregame sessions, which often lasted a half-hour or more, for fear that he might say something controversial the minute you walked away. He loved to argue with us as much as with the umpires.<\/p>\n<p>Former Tribune baseball writer Dave Van Dyck covered him more than anyone in Chicago \u2014 from Guill\u00e9n\u2019s first spring training in Sarasota, Fla., in 1985 to his exit in \u201997 to his hiring as Sox manager in 2003 to the championship in \u201905 to the drama-filled exit in the final days of the 2011 season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course, he went out the same way he went in \u2014 talking nonstop,\u201d Van Dyck wrote after Guill\u00e9n\u2019s final game. \u201cSome making perfect sense, and some of it just the ramblings of a mind that never lingered on any subject for more than a few seconds. Guill\u00e9n was always cursed, and blessed, with short attention. It is a simple complexity that made him loved and hated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Guill\u00e9n was beloved in Chicago, even by Cubs fans who enjoyed hearing him rant about the Wrigley Field rats. The Cubs-Sox rivalry was never as alive as it was when Guill\u00e9n and Lou Piniella were in opposing dugouts. His gift of talking made him a media favorite, and the feeling was mutual.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI respect the media more than anything,\u201d he said. \u201cYou guys know. I never carried no water for no one. I was so honest with you, I got in trouble a lot of times with my honesty. But on my first day I walked to the old ballpark, this city has always been behind me, the good, the bad and the ugly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was never a day Guill\u00e9n didn\u2019t love what he was doing, no matter the job.<\/p>\n<p>The city of Chicago adopted him 41 years ago, and he\u2019s been our native son ever since.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jon Heyman, the national baseball voice of The Score, probably needs a hug. My friend and longtime colleague, who also works for MLB Network and the New York Post, has firmly established himself as the loudest voice on anti-WAR sentiment in the MVP battle between Los Angeles Dodgers unicorn Shohei Ohtani and Chicago Cubs center&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-CUBS-BLUE-JAYS-080626-53.jpg?w=4500&h=3085","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}