CHICAGO — Most Chicago Cubs fans already knew it, but Pete Crow-Armstrong wanted to make sure the rest of the baseball world was aware: Shohei Ohtani has real competition for the National League MVP award. As the Cubs capped off a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, the reigning NL MVP and this year’s insurgent candidate put on a show.“Simply put, having your name in the same conversation as someone as profound as he feels, it’s awesome and it’s a nice nod,” Crow-Armstrong said, after the Cubs’ 7-6 win over the Dodgers. “Yeah, it’s cool.”After Ohtani kicked things off with a home run to lead off the game, Crow-Armstrong quickly tied it up when he sent the first pitch he saw into the right-center bleachers. The dynamic center fielder then doubled in the second and ripped another homer off the right-field video board. He did all this through just four innings.Crow-Armstrong already had a strong MVP case before this series even began. Wednesday’s performance only solidified it and maybe opened some eyes. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts already knew, though.“I haven’t followed the race,” Roberts said before the game. “I have followed what Pete’s doing. And he’s figured some things out with the bat. He’s having a heck of a year. And he has rightfully made it a lot closer than most people expected. He’s had a tremendous season.”Some of what Crow-Armstrong has figured out includes a newfound patience and an ability to hit lefties. All three of Wednesday’s hits came against left-hander Eric Lauer. Crow-Armstrong entered the game with a 146 wRC+ against lefties. Last season, he had a 59 wRC+ against lefties. Entering the year, Crow-Armstrong’s walk rate was 4.9 percent. This season he’s seen it jump seven points to 11.9 percent. Those are the types of developments that are rare, even for young players. And they’re a big reason why Crow-Armstrong is a legitimate MVP candidate.Pete Crow-Armstrong has built a strong MVP case this season. (Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)Ohtani won’t go down quietly, of course. By the end of the day on Wednesday, he’d matched Crow-Armstrong with three hits and two homers. If he gets back on the mound at some point this regular season and looks good down the stretch, Crow-Armstrong will have his work cut out for him. There are few who can do what Crow-Armstrong can. There is nobody who does what Ohtani does. That’s important to remember.“I would be crazy to say I don’t want to win an MVP,” Crow-Armstrong said. “But if we’re talking about having priorities straight, mine are pretty straight. It’s not on the forefront of my mind. It’s fun to joke about, it’s fun to acknowledge and it’s absolutely OK to pay attention to. But it’s not following me up to the plate. But if you guys want to talk about all this back and forth, I really should go get in the lab and start pitching.”Is it nice to see someone giving Ohtani a run for his money?“As the Cubs manager, yes, it’s absolutely a wonderful thing to see,” Craig Counsell said.But Counsell wasn’t going to go any further. Those MVP debates can stay among fans and members of the media.“I think it’s fun watching Pete have this season,” Counsell said. “How that all happens, who knows? I think it’s fun watching a player have this season. And it’s a season you remember, you remember seasons like this. You cherish seasons like this from individual players, you just do. That’s the best part.”Crow-Armstrong now leads all of baseball with 7.5 fWAR. It is clear knows he’s having a historic defensive season; he’s lapping the field in value there. He’s a strong baserunner and has 28 stolen bases on the year. Plus, he’s no slouch at the plate.In Cubs’ history, only Sammy Sosa’s 2001 season (9.9 fWAR) tops Crow-Armstrong this century. He’s the complete package with skills that few others who have ever played the game could boast. Until Ohtani actually returns to the mound, there should be little doubt as to who the current MVP favorite is, and he resides on Chicago’s North Side.Pete Crow-Armstrong homered twice Wednesday. (Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)As much as Crow-Armstrong may be feeling himself currently, the Cubs as a whole should be strutting around. On Monday, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer showed his team just how much he believes in them by making numerous aggressive trades to upgrade the team. Over the next three days, his team showed that Hoyer’s belief was valid by pitching well, hitting in big moments and playing their regular elite defense.“That speaks to, we’re playing good baseball,” Counsell said. “We played good baseball in all facets, I think. To beat them three times, it’s not one or the other. It’s gotta be everything.”But Crow-Armstrong and his teammates have grander plans than a regular-season sweep or pining for individual awards. They want to be the last team standing three months from now.“I would feel much more accomplished taking them down at some point,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I want to see this group in October because I think it could be a dangerous group in the playoffs.”