The Chicago Cubs have shown themselves to be “all in” when it comes to Pete Crow-Armstrong.
To prove their confidence in the 22-year-old asset, the team pretty much declared him their 2025 starting center fielder all the way back at the end of the 2024 season. They doubled down on that confidence when they traded away veteran Cody Bellinger, who could’ve handled the starting middle outfield gig quite well.
The Cubs’ belief in “PCA” stems not only from his great raw ability, but from a turnaround in the later stages of last season that showcased what he could bring to the team if he were fully actualized as a ball player.
PCA Flipped The Switch In August
After a return to the minors early in the season, Crow-Armstrong came back to the majors and still struggled through his issues at the plate for a couple of months upon his return– until he seemingly flipped a switch and everything suddenly started going in the right direction.
In the month of August, he batted .314, hitting four home runs, five doubles, and two triples in that span of time. All in all, he batted .289 in the final two months of the season, adding a much-needed offensive aspect to a profile that already boasted stellar defensive ability and prodigious baserunning prowess.
The eye-opening glimpse into what PCA can be has some knowledgeable baseball people talking about the possibility of extending the incoming sophomore in an effort to lock in a self-actualized elite-level asset.
Should The Chicago Cubs Extend Pete Crow-Armstrong?
Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, for example, mentions the possibility of extending Crow-Armstrong right now, before he reaches his full potential and becomes a more bankable presence.
At this moment, though, the young talent believes it’s too early to talk about things like that, but he wouldn’t necessarily turn away from the idea either.
“I still gotta go get a full 162 to really deserve that,” Crow-Armstrong told Sharma. “But I’m always open to that conversation with them. They’re really good at being straightforward with us, with me at least. That’s been my experience with (team president Jed Hoyer) and (GM Carter Hawkins). I’m gonna leave it up to them. I still gotta prove a little bit more in my eyes.”
Hype, Hope, Or Reality?
But is this all hyperbole, maybe a case of putting the cart before the horse?
After all, if you remove his August stats from his season tally, his batting average for the year falls to a feeble .213.
However, Crow-Armstrong brings so much more to the game than a bat. Even a PCA with marginal hitting success has proven himself to be a considerable asset. As a matter of fact, Statcast’s advanced tracking system ranks him highly in all categories involving defense and baserunning.
David Adler of MLB.com estimates that, overall, Crow-Armstrong is, statistically, the top run and glove guy in all of baseball.
Per Adler:
“Actually, PCA was the most valuable speed-and-defense player in the Major Leagues in 2024.
For the first time, Statcast can measure the run value a player generates in all three phases of the game: batting, baserunning and fielding. In other words, we can see Crow-Armstrong’s runs created for the Cubs via his speed, and his runs prevented for the Cubs via his defense.
The combined value PCA created with his fielding and baserunning was the highest of any player in MLB. And he’s at the top of an impressive list.”
So, would it be wise for the Cubs to gamble on extending Crow-Armstrong and hope that he further grows into his star potential? If they wait a year or two and he DOES, it might not be in his best interest to push off free agency.
For the moment, the focus is on 2025 and on having PCA help the Cubs win.
Chicago Cubs veteran outfielder speaks highly on more than just the team’s talent
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