Chicago Cubs exec makes wild Pete Crow-Armstrong Hall of Fame comparison

The Chicago Cubs picked up a real gem back in 2021 when they acquired Pete Crow-Armstrong at the trade deadline from the New York Mets for shortstop Javier Baez and pitcher Trevor Williams.

That deal proved to be especially fortuitous considering Baez’s poor performance up until a career rekindling this year and Williams’ general lower-tier stats.

“PCA,” however, appears to be a special one and he’s just starting to find his stride as a major league star.

The 23-year-old already ranks among the top 3 in RBIs (38), the top 7 in home runs (12), and the top 5 in stolen bases (14). When it comes to WAR, only Aaron Judge and Fernando Tatis Jr. rank above his 2.9.

During Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer joined the Marquee Sports Network broadcast booth and talked up his young star, who’s quite the hot topic these days.

“I think he’ll get hot eventually,” Hoyer noted sarcastically, right before Crow-Armstrong motorerd his way to a triple on a ball hit to right field.

High Praise And Legendary Comparisons For Pete Crow-Armstrong

The exec would go on to heap some hefty praise for the young talent, tossing around comparisons to some legendary MLB names.

“There are few things in our sport more fun to watch than a guy that’s a top-of-the-scale athlete play baseball,” Hoyer said. “I think about when you’re young and you watch the Rickey Hendersons and the Eric Davises — the guys that can really run and have power. That’s what he’s turning into right in front of our eyes.”

That’s indeed some mighty high company to keep– a legendary Hall of Famer in Henderson and a cusp-of-HOF Davis–  for a player less than halfway into his sophomore year and who, last season, had to be sent to the minors for retooling.

Greatness In The Works?

But how can one deny what they’re seeing, as it plays out right before their eyes? Coming into Sunday’s game, PCA is 6-for-10 in the first two games of the White Sox series, with 8 RBIs, a stolen base, and a home run.

And not only are the numbers amazing, but so is the emotion the kid brings to the field.

“I’d like to say it’s passion rather than emotion,” Crow-Armstrong corrected, when a reporter asked about that emotion following Friday’s 13-3 rout over the White Sox. “I think passion is when you see, like, the real joy. Emotion kind of goes both ways, where it’s sometimes what takes me, anybody, out of a game.”

The kid is even tuned into the nuances of the Cubs-Sox crosstown rivalry, tossing in a subtle dig at the South Siders in the next breath.

“Starting the way we started today feels great. It’s nice seeing the crosstown fans leave early.”

The Chicago Cubs’ Shining Young Star

What’s not to love about PC– the energy, the enthusiasm, the multi-faceted aspect to his game?

“He’s definitely got that ‘it’ factor,” starting pitcher Jameson Taillon told The Athletic earlier this month. “He likes playing in the big moments, he likes performing on the big stages. It’s been a lot of fun.”

“I think it’s cool he’s got a pretty good personality,” Taillon added. “I feel like he hasn’t lost that at all. That’s a testament to everyone in the Cubs org for letting him shine bright. A lot of times young guys, people want to tell ’em to stay quiet or whatever. I feel like we’ve done a good job of being like, ‘No, go be yourself, go be a dude, be a star.’”

And, so far, Crow-Armstrong is doing just that.

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