Every team seems to have a player who can do it all and take the team to a new level. The New York Yankees have Aaron Judge, the Kansas City Royals have Bobby Witt Jr., and the Washington Nationals have James Wood. Sometimes, the best player, on any given team, comes from the unlikeliest of sources.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is the Chicago Cubs’ “do-it-all” player, beating out other guys like outfielder Kyle Tucker and shortstop Nico Hoerner. In fact, not only is he becoming the centerpiece of this entire team, but there’s a good chance he makes a strong showing in the 2025 Most Valuable Player race in the National League. Sure, Shohei Ohtani will likely win that award this year, but the 23-year-old is making a case for a potential upset.
How did Crow-Armstrong make this vast leap from his 2024 season?
Coming off an underwhelming 2023 debut, the then-22-year-old outfielder had a respectable 2024 campaign. In 123 games, the rookie slugged a .237/.286/.670 slash line with 10 home runs and 13 doubles, along with six triples.
There was a lot to like from his rookie season, displaying a high-quality ability to not only use the gap to his advantage but also be a threat on the basepaths. Crow-Armstrong stole 27 bases over 123 games, while getting caught only three times, a 90-percent success rate. Combine that with the number of doubles and triples, and he proved his number-16 prospect ranking.
Crow-Armstrong’s biggest issue, however, resided with his high strikeout rate and low walk rate. In 372 at-bats, he walked only 21 times and struck out 98 times, a 5.6-percent walk rate and 26.3-percent strikeout rate, respectively. The problem was that the outfielder wasn’t getting on base enough, resulting in so many missed opportunities.
In 2025, however, Crow-Armstrong has improved in several facets of his game. The most notable improvement is his raw power, which has doubled his home run total in just over half the games played this year. He’s also blown past his RBI total this year as well, suggesting he’s becoming a big run-scoring bat in scoring position.
While his aforementioned issue hasn’t worsened at all, he still struggles to remain patient at the plate as his walk rate continues to hover around five percent. His OBP increased due to his increased hit totals, but that high walk rate is holding him back significantly.
When looking at what he’s been able to do in half the time this year, Crow-Armstrong is obviously adapting to the game very well. He has a plethora of things to work on, but the signs are very encouraging.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: Crow-Armstrong is fast. There is a reason he is third among all players in bases stolen, having stolen over 70 bases in three years at the minor-league level. His legs are his biggest asset, and given that he’s still young, they’re not going to go away for a long time.
In fact, those legs translate to becoming the best centerfielder in the game. In 76 games, with over 219 chances, Crow-Armstrong has not committed a single error. In fact, he ranks as the sixth-best overall defensive player in the game and third-best at the position. He also has three outfield assists and one registered double play. When looking at his range and his arm, he’s in a prime position to win a Gold Glove.
Once again, his aforementioned raw power appears to be increasing rapidly. It’s very rare to see a player double his home run count in half the games in his second year. There’s an explanation: his attack angle is increasing while his stance is set up deeper in the box with a longer distance between his feet. It’s those small tweaks in a stance or swing that can change a player’s career.
He’s also improved his quality of contact, getting under the ball a little more with a doubling of his barrel rate. Both of his statistics against the fastball and, especially, the breaking ball erupted in terms of slugging and exit velocity. What we’re seeing is a player finally getting comfortable with his swing, and it’s paying off major dividends.
Again, Crow-Armstrong’s peak is hampered by his lack of patience at the plate. Per Baseball Savant, the outfielder ranks at the lowest percentile in chase rate with a nearly 45 percent rate. His walk rate is also suffering, currently ranking at the 10th percentile, while his whiff rate ranks in the 29th percentile. Putting all aside, that chase rate is killing him. He needs to lay off some tricky pitches, and it’s been a problem he’s long overdue to address.
Pitchers have exposed his one area of weakness in the strike zone: The outside corners. In the upper outside corner, Crow-Armstrong struck out 19 times, while the lower outside corner led to 14 strikeouts. His whiff rate eclipses 35 percent in three of those corners, 40 percent in two, and 50 percent in that upper outside. His eye for the strike zone is too large; he needs to shrink it down a bit.
Thankfully, those are the two biggest weaknesses that absolutely need to be addressed throughout the season. Everything else runs in tandem with those two major points of interest. If he can keep the bat on his shoulder and let the trickier pitches go, his OBP easily increases by 50 percentage points.
The tools are there for Crow-Armstrong to become a superstar. He’s got the speed, he has the power, and he has the spray in his hitting profile to give him extreme versatility at the plate. In the outfield, his range is phenomenal, and he absolutely should be at least in consideration for a Gold Glove this year.
It comes down to getting his patience and eyes up to speed. If he can address those two weak points in his zone, he automatically becomes a no-doubter all-star and a serious perennial MVP contender. Cubs fans have a reason to be excited about their centerfielder for a long time.
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