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Just before spring training began last January, Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was part of a group of former Harvard-Westlake High players who returned to O’Malley Field to have their jersey numbers painted on the outfield wall. This was before PCA mania had erupted, before any MVP talk had surfaced, before anyone could have predicted the breakthrough season he would deliver in 2026.

Crow-Armstrong signed autographs for kids, met with varsity players and humbly talked about what he had learned from his high school days that abruptly ended in the spring of 2020 because of the pandemic.

“It’s been a nice, steady progression for the first five years of my career,” he said. “I’m definitely learning a good set of patience that I didn’t have before that. It’s a slow burning sport. It takes a lot of time to try and perfect your craft. I’m going out every day and making the most of it.”

On Thursday, Crow-Armstrong ended the two-year reign of Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani as National League MVP with the announcement that he had won MVP honors during a season in which he hit 45 home runs, stole 41 bases, had 107 RBIs and batted .280.

His coach at Harvard-Westlake, Jared Halpert, left Los Angeles on Wednesday night to fly to Chicago for the celebration.

“You combine the talent and commitment of what he has and you get what we just saw this year,” Halpert said. “It was remarkable.”

Former Harvard-Westlake standouts Jack Flaherty, left, and Pete Crow-Armstrong reunite at Dodger Stadium.

(Jared Halpert)

Crow-Armstrong, 24, is the first Southern California product to be named NL MVP since Christian Yelich (Westlake) received the honor for the Brewers in 2018, with Giancarlo Stanton (Sherman Oaks Notre Dame) winning in 2017 for the Marlins. Jordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros was selected the American League MVP.

Harvard-Westlake had become known as the school for pitchers after producing first-round draft picks Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito and Max Fried. Now come the hitters. Crow-Armstrong, a center fielder, was taken in the first round in 2020 by the New York Mets before being traded to the Cubs in 2021. Infielder Bryce Rainer is working his way up the Detroit Tigers organization after being a first-round pick in 2024.

Crow-Armstrong was always known for his speed, defensive prowess and hitting skills, but this year saw Crow-Armstrong unleash a power surge as the Cubs’ leadoff hitter that energized baseball fans in Chicago and elsewhere. His speed running the bases, leaping skills in the outfield, arm strength and patience at the plate after a slow start created the perfect storm to produce an MVP season.

“I’m always willing to do whatever it takes,” he said on the MLB Network. “My coaching staff was very patient with me through my struggles early in the season.”

Earlier this week, some of the Harvard-Westlake players who met Crow-Armstrong last January offered their opinions of his MVP season.

Ira Rootman, a center fielder committed to Texas, said, “I’ve gotten to interact with him multiple times. Seeing what he did, it means it’s possible for anyone. It’s a real inspiration. He talks a lot about the mental side. I think that’s something incredibly important.”

Louis Lappe, a sophomore infielder who gained national fame with his grand slam in the 2023 Little League World Series for El Segundo, said, “He’s very good inspiration for all the Harvard-Westake people. He showed we can all do it.”

Jake Kim, an outfielder committed to UCLA, said, “It shows that our program and the standard of how we do it and the standard to win and be great speaks volumes about our coaches and how we work around here.”

Being the son of two actors, Crow-Armstrong understood what being in the spotlight looked like and even though he angered Dodger fans with comments last spring in a magazine, he’s always been known as a competitor and shown respect and appreciation for those supporting the game of baseball.

He and his parents have moved out of Los Angeles to be closer to Chicago, but the former Sherman Oaks Little Leaguer won’t forget how the talent level growing up in sunny Southern California helped give him the opportunity to be a major leaguer and reach a level few ever attain.