Pete Crow-Armstrong vs. Shohei Ohtani: NL MVP Debate Heats Up

No, there's absolutely some truth to that. That would be crazy to say that I don't want to win an MVP, but if we're talking about having priorities straight, I think mine are pretty straight. It's not on the forefront of my mind. It's fun to joke about and it's fun to acknowledge, and I think it's absolutely okay to pay attention to, but again, it's not following me up to the plate. I think if you guys want to talk about all this back and forth, I really should go get in the lab and start pitching. I really should. Man, I love that answer from our guy PCA, and if you remember two weeks ago on Shine Time, I said to you that if I had a vote, I would vote for PCA for the NL MVP. Take a look at the new odds as we speak. Waking up this morning and DraftKings now lists Pete Crow Armstrong as the favorite for NL MVP as opposed to Shohei Otani. That is the first time this year in the betting markets that there's someone other than Shohei as the favorite. Remember, that includes the offseason, early season, and literally yesterday at this time. And Pete Crow Armstrong to me is absolutely the MVP. And understand, I'm a Shohei Otani apologist, right? Historical perspective, greatest player I've ever seen, what Shohei Otani does on offense and in the batter's box and Otani's power and Otani's speed and Otani's pitching. Shohei Otani's not pitching! So as a result, you can now open it up and have a legit conversation in terms of who else should be in the mix when it comes to the MVP. And look, when we showed you those odds, there were some other great names. We talked about it earlier in the year when it was Shohei Otani clearly number one and Kyle Schwarber could be number two. But PCA has been absolutely sensational. And here's the thing about PCA, and I'm more of an old school baseball guy than I am new school with analytics. PCA is the dream for the eyeball test, the scouts, the old school baseball people, and the analytics community. He checks every box. He's number one when it comes to war. War, what is it good for? Well, it's good for stressing the argument on why PCA should in fact be at the top of the list for the MVP. You'll watch PCA play. He's phenomenal in the outfield for the Cubs. His offense is unbelievable. His power is sensational. He'll double you to death. His prowess and execution and speed on the bases, incredible. He's the best signature player, the straw that stirs the drink, on a Cubs team that's headed to the playoffs. And by any metric you want to throw at me, we're going to start talking about great offenses in baseball. We're talking about a top three, four, five offense in the game, and PCA is the best player on a juggernaut offense. And we're talking about a team, and this is a reference point at some point when the wheels stop spinning at the end of the season. We're talking about a team that just swept the LA Dodgers. The Chicago Cubs absolutely have a real shot here to go to the World Series. And remember, it's a regular season award. So I think when you start talking about Otani not pitching, defense, offense, the ability to run, everything that goes into the mix, achievement, overachievement, this is not Otani fatigue. Everyone knows I'm obsessed. If he was currently pitching and dominating, like he was in the beginning of the season, we're not having this conversation. But because there's a pause on Shohei taking his turn in the rotation, we're having it. And because PCA has been that great and that valuable, we're having it. Yesterday was just all sorts of fun, though. Otani hit a couple homers. PCA hit a couple homers. Takes this conversation that we started here on Shine Time to a fevered pitch. I'm obsessed with this MVP race. I'm obsessed with PCA. I just think he's an unbelievable player. I think that he's everything right with baseball in terms of multifaceted, all the different tools, competes in so many different ways. He's a pain in the ass for the opposition. The Cubs and their fans absolutely love him. Plays the game with a little swagger. And listen, he also was quoted as saying, we talked about it on Shine Time the other day, that Babe Ruth doesn't exist. And the fact that there's an Otani tie in there, I'm all for it.