Yordan Alvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong Win 2026 MVP: Their Key Cards

Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs won the 2026 MLB MVP awards on November 12, 2026, both with all 30 first-place votes and 420 points, per MLB.com's voting results. It is the first season in which both MVPs and both Cy Young winners were unanimous, a record that goes back to the Cy Young's creation in 1956, MLB.com reported, and ESPN reported the same. For collectors, the two markets could not look more different.

The 2026 MLB MVP Results

Per MLB.com:

• AL: Yordan Alvarez (Astros) 420 points, ahead of Junior Caminero (Rays) 267, Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals) 188 and Cam Schlittler (Yankees) 181
• NL: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs) 420 points, ahead of Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) 264 and Brice Turang (Brewers) 190

Yordan Alvarez: hit .316 to win the AL batting title, with a .432 on-base percentage and career highs of 42 home runs and 106 RBIs, after injuries limited him to 48 games in 2025, per MLB.com. He is the second designated hitter to win MVP after Ohtani, the third Astros MVP after Jeff Bagwell and Jose Altuve, and the first Cuban-born MVP since Jose Abreu in 2020. "I just wanted a chance," Alvarez said through an interpreter, per MLB.com on November 12. "I wanted a chance to play professional baseball years ago."

Pete Crow-Armstrong: hit 45 home runs, tied for the MLB lead, stole 41 bases and led the NL in slugging (.570) and OPS (.942), per MLB.com. His 40-40 season was the seventh in MLB history and the first by a Cub, and he is the first unanimous MVP in Cubs history. "It was me vs. me every day," he said after the announcement, per MLB.com.

Yordan Alvarez's Key Cards

• 1st Bowman: 2018 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autograph #CPA-YA, which Cardboard Connection calls the key Alvarez card. An Orange Refractor /25 in PSA 10 sold for $17,690 on June 6, 2026, his top sale of the season per Card Ladder data reported by SI (September 22, 2026).
• Rookie cards: 2020, not 2019. The MLBPA had Topps hold rookie cards out of 2019 products, so his rookies are 2020 Bowman #25 and 2020 Topps Chrome #200, per Baseball Cardpedia.
• Rookie autograph: 2020 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #RA-YA (checklist). His best rookie-card sale is a 2020 Bowman Red Refractor Auto /5 in PSA 10 at $10,000 on June 3, 2023, per Card Ladder data in SI. The same card resold for $4,500 on August 9, 2025.

Pete Crow-Armstrong's Key Cards

• 1st Bowman: 2020 Bowman Draft #BD-72, with the Chrome Draft Picks Autograph #CDA-PC as the chase (checklist). A Red Refractor /5 of that autograph in BGS 9.5 sold for $50,400 in June 2025, then his top sale, per Card Ladder data in Bleacher Nation.
• Rookie cards: 2024 Topps Chrome #16 (checklist) and 2024 Topps Chrome Update #USC158 (checklist).
• Top sale: his 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB Debut Patch Autograph 1/1, PSA 10, with patch from his September 11, 2023 debut, sold for $1.098 million at Goldin in late September 2026, a $900,000 winning bid plus 22%, per SI and BroBible. SI notes it fell $12,000 short of Paul Skenes' Debut Patch record, which our most expensive debut patch cards list tracks.
• Other 2026 sales: a 2024 Topps Dynasty Rookie Patch Auto 1/1 at $66,000 on August 28, per Card Ladder data in SI.

Bleacher Nation reported on August 26, 2026 that Card Ladder's index of Crow-Armstrong cards had moved five to tenfold in two bursts, the first in early 2025 and the second almost entirely in August 2026.

What It Means for Collectors

Our take: Crow-Armstrong's big run came before the vote, with a seven-figure 1/1 and a five to tenfold index move reported by Bleacher Nation in August. Alvarez is the opposite case. His top 2026 sale through September 22 was a $17,690 Bowman auto, per SI, and his best rookie-card sale on record is still $10,000 from 2023. We found no dated post-award sales as of November 13, so the 1st Bowman autos for both are the cards to watch for the first fresh comps. Our Cy Young and Rookie of the Year cards story covers the other 2026 winners, and the Topps Chrome Update debut patch story explains the card type behind Crow-Armstrong's top sale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the 2026 MLB MVP awards?

Yordan Alvarez of the Astros won the AL MVP and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs won the NL MVP, both unanimously with 420 points, announced November 12, 2026.

What is Pete Crow-Armstrong's most expensive card?

His 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB Debut Patch Autograph 1/1 in PSA 10, which sold for $1.098 million at Goldin in late September 2026, per SI.

What is Yordan Alvarez's rookie card?

His rookie cards are from 2020, including 2020 Bowman #25 and 2020 Topps Chrome #200. His key early card is his first Bowman autograph, the 2018 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autograph #CPA-YA.

Where to Go From Here

The 2026 MVP awards were announced on November 12, 2026. Want cards without chasing a 1/1? The Polkastarter marketplace gives you a free mystery pack when you sign up, and every Lootbox lists its contents, values, and chances before you open it.

Details checked November 13, 2026. Award results are as published by MLB.com. Card prices are past sales as reported on the dates given and include buyer's premium where stated. Nothing here is financial advice. Polkastarter is not affiliated with MLB, the MLBPA, Topps, Goldin, Card Ladder or the other companies named.

Sources

• MLB.com: 2026 MLB MVP Award voting results, published November 12, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• MLB.com: First-time MVP winners (both unanimous!) usher in new era of superstars, published November 12, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• MLB.com: Yordan Alvarez wins 2026 AL MVP Award, published November 12, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• MLB.com: PCA rewarded for historic season with unanimous NL MVP Award, published November 12, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• ESPN: Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong, Astros' Yordan Alvarez win MVP honors, published November 12, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• Sports Illustrated: Pete Crow-Armstrong MLB debut patch card breaks $1 million, published September 30, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• Sports Illustrated: Top card sales this season for all expected MLB award winners, published September 22, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• Sports Illustrated: Top rookie card sales for AL MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez, published September 21, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• Bleacher Nation: Pete Crow-Armstrong cards, published August 26, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• BroBible: Pete Crow-Armstrong's rookie card sold for more money than he made playing that season, published October 1, 2026, accessed November 13, 2026
• Baseball Cardpedia: 2024 Topps Chrome Update, accessed November 13, 2026
• Cardboard Connection: Yordan Alvarez rookie cards, updated August 14, 2020, accessed November 13, 2026
• Baseball Cardpedia: 2020 Bowman, accessed November 13, 2026
• Baseball Cardpedia: 2020 Topps Chrome, accessed November 13, 2026
• Baseball Cardpedia: 2020 Bowman Draft, accessed November 13, 2026
• Baseball Cardpedia: 2024 Topps Chrome, accessed November 13, 2026