Pete Crow-Armstrong capped off a breakout marketing campaign by carving a spot within the Chicago Cubs report books.
The Cubs heart fielder belted a two-run homer within the fourth inning of a 12-1 victory over the Cardinals. That house run was Crow-Armstrong’s thirtieth of the season, making him the second participant in Cubs’ historical past to have a 30-30 season (30 homers 30 stolen bases). Sammy Sosa, who had 30-30 seasons in 1993 and 1995, is the one different Cubs participant in that membership.
A consensus top-100 prospect forward of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Crow-Armstrong was lauded for his skill to make onerous contact, plus velocity and stellar protection. MLB.com gave Crow-Armstrong a rare 80 grade (on the 20 to 80 grade scale) for his outfield protection as he maximized his spectacular velocity and talent to evaluate the ball off the bat.
Pete Crow-Armstrong might solely be scratching the floor of his potential
Whereas Crow-Armstrong tantalized by exhibiting flashes of his potential in 2024, he struggled with the bat. He posted a disappointing .237/.284/.384 batting line in 410 plate appearances, hitting 10 homers and 13 doubles whereas stealing 27 bases. Crow-Armstrong’s glove stored him within the lineup, however there have been questions as as to whether or not he would hit sufficient to dwell as much as his potential.
He started to reply these questions in 2025. Regardless of cooling off after a torrid begin to the season, Crow-Armstrong has put collectively a strong exhibiting. He posted a .245/.285/.476 batting line in 640 plate appearances after Friday’s victory, hitting 30 homers and 37 doubles whereas stealing 35 bases.
Crow-Armstrong could also be simply scratching the floor of his potential. He has improved his common exit velocity by 3.2 mph and his hard-hit price by 4.5%. Nonetheless, questions stay about his skill to constantly make contact. His stroll price decreased by 0.5% and is in the second percentile. In the meantime, his strikeout price has elevated, fueled by his second percentile chase price.
At 23 years outdated, Crow-Armstrong has loads of time to make wanted changes to take the subsequent step in his evolution. If he can enhance his plate self-discipline and call charges, Crow-Armstrong might solely be starting to carve his place within the Cubs’ report books.
