The Chicago Cubs have something special in Pete Crow-Armstrong, at least in the “potential” sense.
It’s easy to see how the multi-tooled center fielder, who just turned 23 on Tuesday, became such a darling of the Cubs (and, previously, the New York Mets) farm system, as well as the object of fascination among experts and analysts. The kid IS that talented.
Even as just a run and glove guy, “PCA” projects as elite-level. His bat has lagged behind everything else in his repertoire, though. And that’s why everyone’s still talking about him as what might be rather than what is.
For a month last season, however, he did give the world a peek into what a fully-actualized Pete Crow-Armstrong would look like– and it was indeed quite impressive.
Chicago Cubs Are All-In On PCA
Last August, PCA hit .314 with four home runs, five doubles, two triples, and six stolen bases. It was enough of a glimpse for the Cubs to declare themselves “all in” when it came to the young man as their center fielder of the foreseeable future. They were so, “all in” that they even parted ways with Cody Bellinger in the offseason, headed into a season where postseason play is a stated target.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield believes that the Cubs’ confidence is warranted, at least according to the numbers he’s crunched.
A Self-Actualized Pete Crow-Armstrong?
Mar 16, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; Chicago Cubs second baseman Gage Workman (center) runs to first base after hitting an RBI-single against the Yomiuri Giants to score center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (background left) during the fifth inning at Tokyo Dome. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Schoenfield ran through 25 simulated MLB seasons using the Out of the Park Baseball game and noted a very positive 7.5 WAR projection for the young talent brought to the Cubs from the Mets in the 2021 Javier Baez trade.
Per Schoenfield:
“Crow-Armstrong compares in a lot of ways to Jarren Duran, who had a remarkable 2024 with 8.7 WAR for the Boston Red Sox…Both are tooled-up players who can beat you with their speed, defense and bat. Duran had 2.2 WAR in 2023 in 362 plate appearances before his monster 2024 season; Crow-Armstrong had 2.3 WAR in 410 plate appearances in 2024…
The Cubs ranked seventh in the NL in runs in 2024, but it’s easy to envision a much better offense in 2025 with Kyle Tucker, improvement from Crow-Armstrong and a positive contribution from rookie third baseman Matt Shaw. While Tucker should be one of the best players in the NL, Crow-Armstrong and Shaw are obviously bigger unknowns. But if Crow-Armstrong — one of my most intriguing players of 2025 — delivers a 7-WAR season, the Cubs will be hard to beat in the NL Central.”
To put this into perspective, a 7.5 WAR would rank Crow-Armstrong just above the 2024 showings of Francisco Lindor (6.9 WAR) and Matt Chapman (7.1 WAR) and below Juan Soto (7.9 WAR).
If that happens, as Schoenfield noted, the Cubs will be tough to beat. The kid can be an explosive presence, adding plus-plus benefit in several areas of the game.
Bust Or Bonanza
But there is also great bust or bonanza possibility when it comes to Crow-Armstrong.
While his August of 2024 was tremendous, if one removes that month of awesomeness from his stat sheet, what’s left is a .199 career batting average.
And, despite a stellar spring this year that saw him bat .500 in Cactus League play, he’s still the guy who swings at just about anything and everything, as evidenced by his two real season games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan.
He’s also the guy projected to be just slightly improved at the plate this season by PECOTA, ZiPS, Razzball, and Baseball Reference.
It’ll definitely be interesting to see how PCA’s season plays out because, no matter what, he’s always going to be fun to watch.
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