Pete Crow-Armstrong is blossoming into the Cubs’ next big-hit dynamo

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“The most impressive thing about Pete and what is, I think, the hardest thing for young players to grasp onto, is not only a belief in themselves, but how they can formulate a routine that maximizes their potential,” Swanson said. “He’s smart, he’s really instinctual, and he’s been able to feel his way through what works for him and what doesn’t. 

“To be able to do that at a really young age is impressive.”

Why is it all coming together now? Crow-Armstrong finally has an established role on the roster as the Cubs’ starting center fielder — unlike last year, when he began the season in the minor leagues. He no longer had to worry about proving he should be in the big leagues; this year he knew he belonged. He’s always been an elite defender, but digging into his numbers at the plate, Crow-Armstrong has made a huge jump in his ability to barrel the ball, which has led to a power surge. And he’s hitting right-handed pitchers better than he ever has at the big-league level. He’s already collected 10 doubles in 124 at-bats facing righties this season, compared to 11 doubles in 285 at-bats against them last year.

Plus, suiting up alongside a World Series champion like Tucker served as a wake-up call to Crow-Armstrong that his hard work was paying off.

“Signing a guy like that was pretty exciting,” Crow-Armstrong recently told FOX Sports. “Before he was my teammate for the last few months, that guy was a very renowned, revered player. It was always fun for me to watch him. That was kind of a cool one. That was one of the reminders, like, hey, you’re a big leaguer. You’re playing with Kyle Tucker. You’re playing with Dansby Swanson. So that stuff’s cool. It gave me that little-kid feeling.”

Given Crow-Armstrong’s bold, yet grounded personality (he dyes his hair blue and “couldn’t care less” about what the media will say about him) and his high-profile journey to the major leagues, it can be easy to forget that he’s just 23 years old with less than 200 MLB games under his belt.

Known as PCA, he was drafted by the Mets in the first round (19th overall pick) in 2020 out of Harvard-Westlake High School, a hotbed of major-league talent in the Los Angeles area. While he was climbing up the minor-league ladder in the Mets farm system, they traded him in July 2021 to the Cubs for infielder Javier Baez. In 2023, Crow-Armstrong made his major-league debut as a 21-year-old September call-up. He was on track to make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster last year before they signed Cody Bellinger in spring training. But it didn’t take long for the Cubs to promote him for good. 

He was called up in April last year and has grown into an essential piece of the Cubs roster ever since, racking up a team-best defensive WAR (22.4) in that span. While Crow-Armstrong has always turned heads with his top-tier sprint speed and superb glove — he leads all MLB position players with a Fielding Run Value of 10 this year, and it’s not even close — early scouting reports suggested his lack of power was a major concern and predicted his ceiling would be a 10-15 home run hitter. 

“That’s no secret,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I think defense is easier than hitting, but I was always aware that I was viewed as this one-dimensional player. That was always fine. I didn’t really start hitting for power until I got into Triple A, anyways. It was fine. I thought that was a fair criticism, a fair assessment to put on a young player who hasn’t proven anything.”

Now, Crow-Armstrong is busy proving them wrong. 

But those who knew him while he was a minor-leaguer for the Mets were sure he would be a star in the league one day. Crow-Armstrong built a strong friendship with Mets infielders Mark Vientos and Brett Baty when they played together in the Mets’ instructional league during the 2020 pandemic year, spending every day with each other when the minor-league season was canceled. Crow-Armstrong still has a support system in Vientos and Baty nearly four years after he was traded. 

“​​We would call each other constantly, especially when he was on the Cubs, and I was over here,” Vientos said. “We would just have check-ins to see how we were doing mentally.” 

“He’s going to be a phenomenal player for a really long time,” Vientos added. “He’s true to himself. He’s authentic. That’s what makes him who he is.”

“Anybody who’s around him knows how hard he works,” Baty said. “So it was just a matter of time before people noticed. And he’s always been a tremendous hitter.”

His latest home run, a towering solo shot to right field just shy of 400 feet, got nearly 40,000 fans on their feet at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. His belief in himself is just as evident as his swag, and that confidence is infectious in Chicago. The Cubs are 25-18, first place in the NL Central, competing as a legitimate playoff contender for the first time in several years. So much of their early ascendancy is due to Crow-Armstrong’s hot bat and Gold Glove-caliber defense, and now their future success relies on him staying steady throughout the full season.

Pete Crow-Armstrong crushes a solo homer

Pete Crow-Armstrong brought the Chicago Cubs faithful to their feet with a big blast against the Miami Marlins.

Crow-Armstrong plans to sustain his hot start by relying on repetition and consistency at the plate, rather than getting caught up in day-to-day results. But he’s also prepared for an inevitable dip in production, because going 3-for-4 every night isn’t realistic. Still, equipped with a no-pressure mindset, he’s focused on maintaining his approach for a long, successful career. If he can stick to his game plan, he’s shaping up to earn his first career All-Star appearance this season, and this is just the beginning of what Crow-Armstrong has in store. After all, he’s only 23 years old and is already becoming a household name.

“I started to find that, it’s like, I hit 10 home runs last year. I already hit nine [in 34 games] this year,” he said. “I’ve definitely had to have my moments of just like, dude, you’re doing just fine. But, I still want a lot more for myself.”

Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. Follow her on X at @DeeshaThosar.

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