Crow-Armstrong Tops NL MVP; Schlittler Leads AL Cy Young — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong holds a commanding 165.3 AXE lead in the NL MVP race over Shohei Ohtani (145.9), sits three steals shy of a 40-homer/40-steal season, and at 10.4 fWAR has an outside shot at topping Rogers Hornsby's 11.0 figure from 1929 for the Cubs' team record.
- Cam Schlittler tops the AL Cy Young race at 153.1 AXE over Dylan Cease (145.8), going 2-0 with a 0.89 ERA in his first three September starts after a 12-6, 2.09 ERA run through August; he also ranks second in AL MVP voting at 143.0 AXE.
- Jacob Misiorowski has emerged as the betting-market favorite for the NL Cy Young with a 150.9 AXE, a sub-2.00 ERA, and a sparkling 24-4 game-score record (40.57 Fibonacci win score — MLB-best), even though he trails AXE-leader Cristopher Sanchez (154.5).
- Yordan Alvarez still leads the AL MVP at 146.9 AXE despite a second-half dip (4.1% fewer pitches seen in the zone, 5.8% with men on base), holding the top spot among MLB hitters in win probability added and championship probability added as the Astros chase the AL West title.
- Cristopher Sanchez paces the NL Cy Young in AXE (154.5) ahead of Misiorowski (150.9), but his case took a hit with a poor outing against the Nationals during the Phillies' playoff push; the author questions whether Sanchez's strangely big bWAR lead is real.
- Jesus Luzardo gained 6.9 AXE points since the last awards watch (second among starting pitchers) but a bum shoulder has ended his regular season and put his postseason availability in doubt, eliminating any Cy Young push.
- Reid Detmers posted a 1.65 ERA with a nearly 7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 11 second-half starts on the lowly Angels, standing out as a bright spot on a team long out of contention.
Why it matters: The 2026 NL Cy Young hinges on whether voters favor Misiorowski's eye-popping sub-2.00 ERA and 24-4 game-score record or Sanchez's broader AXE edge (154.5 to 150.9). Schlittler's dual Cy Young-MVP run and Crow-Armstrong's chase of Hornsby's 97-year-old Cubs record will define how this season's awards are remembered.
Ask SkimNews
