The Chicago Cubs have been hitting like a team possessed. After defeating their divisional rival Pittsburgh Pirates, by a score of 8-3, the Cubs followed it up by smashing the reigning NL Central Champions 10-0 on prime time television. The Cubs’ offense was clicking on all levels against the Milwaukee Brewers to the tune of nine runs in the first two innings.
An offensive explosion in Milwaukee
Several Cubs got in on the fun, including Michael Busch, who smacked his first career grand slam to blow the game wide open in the second inning. But no star shone brighter on Friday than Pete Crow-Armstrong, who hit multiple homers against Milwaukee’s depleted pitching staff.
Speaking to reporters after Friday’s win, the 23-year-old did not mince words when describing his excitement.
“It’s so easy to hit in this lineup.” Said Crow-Armstrong, “I feel so confident going up to the plate in the 7-hole. Talk about flying under the radar. I feel like I can hide in there in a way. Hitting in this lineup is the biggest difference I’ve seen this year to any other year I’ve ever played baseball.”
Crow-Armstrong is under minimal pressure in a lineup featuring Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, and Ian Happ. He doesn’t need to be a superstar in the lineup for this Cubs team to be good. But due to his recent ascension, Chicago has become one of the best offenses in baseball.
The third-year pro was always going to have a high floor in the majors due to his speed and defense.
Per Baseball Savant, Crow-Armstrong has registered 95th percentile spring speed, 94th percentile arm strength, and 100th percentile range in Centerfield.
The question was never his glove, but rather if his bat would be good enough to justify his spot in the lineup. But this season, his bat may be catching up to his other elite traits.
A career year for PCA
Crow-Armstrong has enjoyed a career year so far this season at the plate. In 32 games, he is slashing .271/.309/.550 for a .859 OPS. He has accumulated 1.8 fWAR, which is fifth in all of MLB. The only players he trails behind are Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, Fernando Tatis, and Corbin Carroll.
While it’s still a relatively low sample size, this would put Crow-Armstrong on pace for over 9 fWAR this season, a feat achieved by only three players last season. He’s on pace for MVP-level production in just his third big league season.
The playmaking center fielder is morphing into the superstar the Cubs hoped he could become back when they traded for him in 2021. It’s quite ironic that the Cubs landed another dazzling, electric, colorful star after dealing one in Javier Baez in the same trade.
PCA has quickly become a fan favorite in Chicago, and for good reason. The California native has matched the energy of the Wrigley faithful and has given the Cubs a spark in the bottom third of the order. If he can keep up this level of production, Tucker may soon have competition as the Cubs’ best outfielder.