Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong went from the penthouse as a prospect, winning top prospect honors on several lists for consecutive years, to the outhouse as someone written off as a bust. This happened, literally, in a matter of months, back in 2023.
And 2024 started out pretty badly as well, with the young talent being sent back to Triple-A after a disastrous start to the season. But PCA did get back up to the major leagues and got things rolling in the second half of the season, showing longer and longer flashes of him becoming the multi-tool player he was projected to be.
The 22-year-old, who’s been given an extreme vote of confidence by Chicago front office and coaching, has been handed the starting center field gig for the coming season, with no real plans for a backup. His contributions are THAT valued by the team.
PCA Left Off The Top 25
That’s why some observers were put off by Crow-Armstrong being left off MLB.com’s recent list of the Top 25 rookies of 2024.
It was a glaring omission, too.
The list, by the way, has the Pittsburgh Pirates Paul Skenes at no. 1, which shouldn’t really be a topic for debate. It also lists Cubs Shota Imanaga and Michael Busch, at no. 4 and no. 17, respectively.
But, getting back to PCA.
What gives?
A lot is perception.
Perception Equals Reality?
After years of being regarded as a “can’t miss” top of the heap prospect, Crow-Armstrong got a cup of coffee in late 2023 and looked absolutely overwhelmed by the call-up, He looked especially feeble at the plate, failing to get a hit in 19 plate appearances and just generally looking incapable of getting around on major league heat.
He came up with the Cubs from spring training in 2024 and, again, looked over his head.
At this point, the narrative had been set, at least among the national press. PCA was a bust or, at the very least, not the player many thought he’d be.
And even when that narrative got turned on its head a bit by the kid’s second-half performance, it’s held up enough to affect outsiders’ perception of him and his 2024 season.
The Chicago Cubs With Pete Crow-Armstrong
The reality for those who watched the majority of last season, however, is that Crow-Armstrong was a valuable asset to the team, above and beyond what the cold, hard stats show.
His defense, which is undeniably spectacular, is something that one can’t necessarily value, statistically. While there are metrics that rate the weight of defensive ability, they don’t really paint the full picture of how someone like Crow-Armstrong saves runs and eases the burden of everyone around him.
It’s also hard to evaluate the value he has on the bases, as someone who can (and will) take that extra base and motor down the line at full speed. There’s no stat that value rates the extra pressure he puts on the opposing defense and pitching staff because of his speed and aggression.
All of that is easy to miss when you’re judging players by stats and not necessarily seeing enough of them in actual games.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is a spark plug for the Cubs and the team has acknowledged that by wholeheartedly giving him the starting center field spot, even when Cody Bellinger was still with the club.
If/when PCA gets his bat to shine as brightly as his other assets, everyone will see what the Chicago Cubs die-hards already see.
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