Inside the rise of Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong

Jesse RogersJun 19, 2025, 07:00 AM ETCloseJesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.CHICAGO — One among Matt Armstrong’s earliest reminiscences of his son on an athletic subject got here not on a baseball diamond, however on the gridiron. When Pete Crow-Armstrong was 7, Matt was the pinnacle coach of his flag soccer crew in Southern California. Former main league participant and supervisor Gabe Kapler, who additionally had a son on the crew, was Matt’s assistant.”I feel he was my defensive coordinator,” Matt mentioned.Sooner or later after observe, Kapler was throwing a soccer round to among the children.”There was a second when Pete ran this crossing route, like 5 yards up, after which he reduce and Gabe whipped the ball to him,” Matt mentioned. “He prolonged his fingers and caught it out in entrance of him and flew up the sector. And Gabe seems to be at me and says, ‘You understand that is not regular, proper?'”Quick ahead about 16 years, and Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to do issues that do not appear regular — though now it is whereas manning heart subject for the Chicago Cubs and batting in the course of top-of-the-line lineups in Main League Baseball.Editor’s Picks2 RelatedThe 23-year-old additionally flashes velocity few gamers possess (his 23 stolen bases rank third in baseball) whereas offering extra energy (19 residence runs) than his 6-foot, 184-pound body may counsel. He is burst onto the scene this season, serving to the Cubs into first place within the Nationwide League Central. His newest heroics embody an unbelievable diving catch to protect a one-run lead Tuesday in opposition to the Milwaukee Brewers and a laser off Wrigley Subject’s right-field scoreboard just some minutes later that registered at 111.5 mph off the bat. The 2 moments led to 38,000 followers chanting, “M-V-P! M-V-P!”Crow-Armstrong’s infectious persona can be an enormous a part of his enchantment for a fan base ravenous for a star and a league at all times making an attempt to promote its sport. He has garnered probably the most All-Star votes of any Nationwide League outfielder and fourth most amongst all gamers — behind solely Aaron Choose, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. He connects with the younger and previous within the stands at Wrigley in addition to contained in the Cubs’ clubhouse.He is likely to be the whole package deal.”He is extremely sort and real and filled with vitality and good with children,” teammate Dansby Swanson mentioned. “Simply seeing him with gamers or coaches’ children. He is so kindhearted and enjoyable in direction of them.”Vitality is enticing. He is filled with it.”WHEN YOU TALK to anybody who has identified Crow-Armstrong for some time, they will inform you a similar factor: He is at all times been like this. Stuffed with vitality and enthusiasm.”All the time in movement,” his mother, Ashley Crow, mentioned. “And simply utterly sport for something. He simply loves [baseball]. He is liked it as early as 3.”Even earlier than turning 3, Crow-Armstrong was hitting baseballs. A T-ball set from an aunt got here as a present for his second birthday — however rapidly grew to become out of date.”Inside per week he had deserted the tee solely,” Matt recalled. “He needed us to throw to him.”Pete Crow-Armstrong took to baseball from a younger age, rapidly abandoning a T-ball set he bought for his second birthday in favor of reside pitching. Courtesy of Ashley CrowMatt and Ashley have been working actors on the time. Each appeared on the tv present “Heroes,” and Ashley had performed the mother from the film “Little Huge League,” during which her character’s 12-year-old son takes over the Minnesota Twins. However there’s actually no line to be drawn from their appearing days to their son’s rising stardom, even with all three ending up within the leisure business.”Everybody expects this Hollywood reply to this query,” Crow-Armstrong instructed ESPN just lately. “Nah, I used to be outdoors daily taking part in ball. Minimal display time. I went to set a couple of times, however aside from that I used to be within the yard. We had a giant yard.”Stated Ashley: “That yard was his residence. He would get up within the morning and head proper to the yard.”Quickly, PCA — as he is generally identified — would be a part of Sherman Oaks Little League, the place Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty as soon as performed. The truth is, Flaherty umpired a few of Crow-Armstrong’s video games.”He is an excellent child,” Flaherty mentioned earlier than dealing with Crow-Armstrong just lately. “All the time has been.”Flaherty was requested how he deliberate to get the hot-hitting third-year participant out.”I’ll hit him,” Flaherty deadpanned.Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-3 off Flaherty, however the ball stayed within the ballpark, a victory for pitchers today. Energy wasn’t his trademark rising up anyway. His legs have been.”He is at all times run the bases like somebody is chasing him,” childhood buddy and Cubs minor leaguer Drew Bowser mentioned. “He simply saved getting higher and higher and higher. What you are seeing isn’t a surprise. Not less than to not me.”Bowser hit the primary residence run off PCA, the pitcher. They have been 7 years previous.”Oh, I bear in mind it,” Crow-Armstrong mentioned. “Solely gave up three residence runs in my Little League profession and he was one in all them. His mother has a video of it.”Bowser added: “He simply stood there and checked out it. I’d have been crying.”As with many children, it was a time when Crow-Armstrong fell in love with the sport. He was requested what involves thoughts when he considers his early reminiscences of baseball.”It is type of a corny cinema in a approach,” he mentioned. “The dads are ingesting beer and all the youngsters are taking part in whiffle ball and throwing the soccer on the sector after hours. Simply being children.”I discovered a lot of myself on a baseball subject.”When Crow-Armstrong joined Sherman Oaks Little League — and later Harvard-Westlake Excessive Faculty — he was following within the footsteps of Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty. Courtesy of Ashley CrowEventually, Crow-Armstrong would be a part of the famed Harvard-Westlake highschool that Flaherty, New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried and Boston Pink Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito had attended. They have been all older, however Crow-Armstrong felt their presence.”They undoubtedly formed Harvard-Westlake’s baseball program to set it as much as get gamers like myself and make it a baseball recruitment,” Crow-Armstrong mentioned. “I had no enterprise going to Harvard-Westlake, financially or academically. These guys constructed that program up.”The coach at Harvard-Westlake, Jared Halpert, likes to inform a narrative that illustrates the arrogance of his former scholar.Throughout a fall league sport, the groups have been tied heading into the ultimate inning. Crow-Armstrong was within the on-deck circle.”Being a coach, I instructed him to remain inside himself and that we do not want something particular,” Halpert recalled in a telephone interview. “Simply get an excellent swing off.”He instructed me to get away from him — it could have been extra colourful — he was going to finish the sport. First or second pitch he hit a ball over a home in proper subject.”Crow-Armstrong remembered that second: “I feel I used to be good about it, however yeah I instructed him, ‘I bought this.'”Lots of Halpert’s former gamers who are actually within the massive leagues generally return to the highschool to hang around with the present crew, together with Crow-Armstrong.”There’s a bit of little bit of a reserve by them,” Halpert mentioned. “Nobody needs to get on the market and compete with the highschool children. Nothing to achieve. However Pete simply would not care about that. He is on the market daily when he comes again right here. He is taking reps and getting after it with these highschool children. He would not care how he seems to be.”Once you discuss little children taking part in baseball, that is the epitome of that. It is a enterprise, however this child is in love with the sport. That is what he is exhibiting everyone proper now.”As we speak, Crow-Armstrong is likely to be a teammate of Francisco Lindor on the New York Mets — if not for a shoulder damage and the COVID pandemic. Daniel Shirey/MLB Images through Getty ImagesLOOKING BACK NOW, Jed Hoyer, the Cubs’ president of baseball operations, feels lucky. A shoulder damage — together with the COVID pandemic — is likely to be the rationale Crow-Armstrong is at the moment manning heart subject for Hoyer’s crew and never the New York Mets.After a profitable profession at Harvard-Westlake, PCA was drafted nineteenth by the Mets in 2020. He started his professional profession the next season however lasted solely six video games attributable to a shoulder damage which required surgical procedure. It was throughout his restoration that summer season when he was traded to the Cubs in a deal headlined by shortstop Javier Baez.”That yr, we had a bunch of leases and different executives weren’t keen to speak about their high prospects at Double-A and above,” Hoyer mentioned. “So we dipped all the way down to Single-A.”Chicago was within the midst of stripping aside its championship core from the earlier decade, and Hoyer had quite a bit on his plate. Together with the Baez deal, he traded stars Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, hoping he would discover a good prospect or two in return. PCA has been the most effective of them.”Truthfully, we have been lucky he was damage,” Hoyer mentioned. “Out of sight, out of thoughts a bit of bit.”How pickleball unfold via MLBTrash discuss, daring bets and road-trip tournaments. Here is how the pickleball courtroom grew to become the place to be throughout baseball. Jesse Rogers »
Crow-Armstrong summed it up this fashion: “Once you’re damage within the minor leagues, no person offers a s—. It gave me quiet time to get wholesome and go work on my s—.”Crow-Armstrong labored his approach up the Cubs system, hitting 20 residence runs and stealing 37 bases in 2023, but it surely was his protection that opened eyes. Scouts mentioned he was major-league-ready within the subject and the crew would finally agree, bringing him up in 2023 for a 13-game style of the massive leagues.He did not get successful.Then final yr, Crow-Armstrong’s struggles continued throughout his first full season with the Cubs, however he finally figured issues out on the plate over the course of the final month, hitting .284 in his last 31 video games. Nonetheless, the vibe he gave off was about protection and stealing bases.The identical may have been mentioned of PCA early this season — till he arrived in his hometown for a collection in opposition to the Los Angeles Dodgers in mid-April. He was hitting .200 with no residence runs after the primary sport.Over the course of that collection, he discovered his rhythm on the plate — and all the pieces modified.”I bought again on time,” Crow-Armstrong mentioned. “I used to be late [to hitting balls] all yr main as much as that.”Since April 13, Crow-Armstrong has a .959 OPS, together with all 19 of his residence runs and 17 of his stolen bases. And he grew to become an RBI machine, shifting up from seventh within the order to hitting leadoff in some video games and cleanup in others. With runners in scoring place, he is hitting .342 and is tied for the league lead with eight residence runs.Crow-Armstrong has additionally performed a near-flawless heart subject, monitoring down balls with a burst of vitality, stealing positive hits off the bat whereas daring baserunners to check his arm. Like his energy, his arm power can be deceiving, rating ninth amongst heart fielders. And he leads all outfielders in defensive runs saved.”He is taking part in at as excessive a degree that I’ve seen a middle fielder play,” Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell mentioned this week. “We’re 70 video games in however how he is taking part in it, it is nearly as good as I’ve seen.”His offensive and defensive contributions have him surprisingly forward of Ohtani in fWAR, main all NL gamers.”You do not know what his ceiling is,” Cincinnati Reds supervisor Terry Francona mentioned just lately, shaking his head.Francona’s crew has been the recipient of the complete Crow-Armstrong expertise this season, which features a game-changing grand slam, 10 RBIs and three stolen bases over the course of six video games in opposition to the Reds.”He can do all of it,” Francona mentioned. “I hear folks say he would not stroll and all the pieces, however that is most likely how he is an excellent hitter. He is aggressive. He can beat you along with his legs. He can hit the ball out of the ballpark. He can go get the ball in heart. He can bunt.”S—, I hope he does bunt subsequent time in opposition to us.”MLB ballpark mannequin of the futureThe Battery Atlanta is an attractive blueprint for groups. However creating a complete neighborhood is a tough act to observe. Bradford Doolittle »
What’s made Crow-Armstrong stand out greater than something is his potential to hit pitches no person has any enterprise hitting. In response to ESPN Analysis, he has hit a pitch the second furthest from the strike zone for a house run this season (8.1 inches above the sting of the strike zone) and the bottom pitch for a house run (5.8 inches beneath the zone).”Off the plate, in,” veteran teammate Justin Turner mentioned. “Off the plate, away. A 100 mph on the black away in opposition to Hunter Greene. The heater 8 inches above the zone in opposition to Andrew Heaney. The slider in Milwaukee that nearly bounced. The stuff up and in.”Crow-Armstrong does have a 43% chase price, second highest amongst certified hitters, however has 9 additional base hits on pitches outdoors the zone. He is a free swinger, with solely 14 walks, however continues to do injury on pitcher’s pitches. The comp heard most within the Cubs’ clubhouse relating to his bad-ball hitting is Rafael Devers.”The ability in all zones is loopy,” Turner mentioned. “Normally, energy guys have a candy spot. He actually would not have a candy spot. When he is on time and able to go, it would not matter the place it is at. He has an opportunity to drive it out of the yard.”Stated Reds reliever Brent Suter with a shrug: “He is hitting those he is presupposed to hit and hitting those he isn’t presupposed to hit.”Cubs assistant hitting coach John Mallee has at all times been a proponent of hitting the ball within the air. He helped coach the 2016 Cubs to a World Collection title, which included an MVP award for former Cub Bryant, however he likens PCA to a different hitter of his from greater than a decade in the past.”I labored with Jose Altuve in Houston,” Mallee mentioned. “He at all times profiled as a much bigger man, which means he hit the ball more durable than you’d suppose as a smaller participant. Pete additionally profiles as a giant man, however he is a bit of man [frame-wise] with velocity.”Why would you wish to hit it on the bottom? They stand the place you hit it for probably the most half. He naturally will get it within the air.”From flag soccer to Wrigley Subject, PCA has been turning heads along with his expertise, vitality and persona. Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty ImagesSPEED AND POWER are what makes Crow-Armstrong stand out on the sector, and now they’ve helped make him one of the vital well-liked gamers in Chicago, no matter sport.His jerseys already litter Wrigley Subject and, in keeping with league knowledge, he is successful on social media, too, rating sixth amongst all gamers in follower development proportion on Instagram this season. For a league looking for superstars, MLB sees Crow-Armstrong as the following massive factor.”We’re big followers of PCA on and off the sector,” mentioned EJ Aguado, MLB vice chairman of participant engagement and movie star relations. “He is one of many nice personalities within the sport, and his on-field efficiency speaks for itself. We have been engaged with Pete for a while, going again to his minor league days. We’re additionally in contact along with his crew at CAA and the Cubs on some cool upcoming initiatives to showcase the wonderful season he is having and who he’s off the sector — keep tuned.”His charisma and sense of enjoyable was developed at an early age. His dad believes being an solely little one made him extra comfy round adults, whereas his mother thinks crew sports activities was his outlet to develop into such a fan favourite.”He at all times makes time for folks, particularly children,” catcher Carson Kelly mentioned. “True skilled however has that child in him. It is why the youthful era most likely gravitates in direction of him.”The most recent ESPN fantasy baseball content material• Fantasy baseball buzz: The most recent information• Karabell: Influence of Devers commerce on prospects• Cockcroft: What the Devers commerce means for fantasy• Reliever depth chart for each MLB teamFantasy baseball residence web page >>
PCA mentioned: “That is who I am right here for, children. I undoubtedly have some child in me. It is enjoyable being Uncle Pete. And it is the good feeling when Matt Boyd says his son is cheering me on when he is watching TV. Or Carson Kelly’s children.”The very fact it extends to the sector is all the higher.”The way in which he celebrates his teammates,” left fielder Ian Happ mentioned. “You see him after a walk-off working out as the primary one on the market.”We’ve fairly reverse personalities. That makes it enjoyable. Watching him play, there’s something in regards to the pleasure. It is good for me to see every day.”As all the pieces swirls round him, Crow-Armstrong maintains his day by day routine. He is just lately began hitting off a tee — maybe for the primary time since he was a 2-year-old utilizing his aunt’s birthday present — then joins teammates on the infield, taking grounders and serving to them flip double performs throughout pregame observe. Then it is a phrase or two for a stadium worker or a few younger followers whose eyes gentle up when he walks as much as them. Watching his day unfold brings again his mother’s commentary: at all times in movement.When the sport begins, the grass in heart subject, and the left aspect of the batter’s field, grow to be his area. He transforms into PCA.”It is simply tremendous particular I get to do that daily,” Crow-Armstrong mentioned, standing close to the Cubs’ dugout. “I do know that sounds cliché. All of us are replaceable. Individuals’s careers as followers go on quite a bit longer than us as gamers. That is my area and that is my heart subject, but it surely’s additionally theirs. It was theirs first.”