Ten years after he was part of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series team, Matt Szczur has publicly named his choice for 2026 National League MVP. The player he supports for the award -- Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong -- won’t surprise you. How he went about doing so, well, that’s a different story.
Szczur posted a video to social media Tuesday morning, detailing himself creating a painting of “PCA” doing his new signature celebration: a “relaxing” pose with both hands behind his head.
Szczur -- an outfielder in his playing days -- paints in quite a unique way. He spray paints the background of the canvas and uses stencils to fill in the details of his subject. After covering the finished focal point, he sets paint on a batting tee and literally takes batting practice to add highlights to the piece. He then pours paint onto his hands and throws it for the finishing touches.
Retired after a five-year Major League career, Szczur has been showing off his new talents on social media for some time. Other recent Szczur works include Michael Jordan (the baseball player) and former NBA star Allen Iverson. He also has a personal website from which you can buy some of his original work.
Szczur gifted Cubs owner Tom Ricketts with a World Series painting years ago, so perhaps Crow-Armstrong will get his hands on this one-of-a-kind keepsake, too.