The Chicago Cubs have a genuine star on their hands, and his name is Pete Crow-Armstrong. On Wednesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, the 24-year-old center fielder launched two home runs. That gave him his eighth multi-homer game as a big leaguer. According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, that’s the most multi-homer games by any Cubs player under 25 years old in franchise history.
Think about the names he just passed. Anthony Rizzo. Ron Santo. Kris Bryant. Those are franchise icons, MVPs, Hall of Famers and borderline Hall of Famers. Crow-Armstrong now stands alone atop that list. For a guy who heard plenty of noise about his strikeout rate and whether his bat would ever catch up to his elite defense, this is a loud response.
And it’s not just the power. Crow-Armstrong is hitting .297 with a .929 OPS and 21 home runs. He also has 23 stolen bases, giving him a second straight 20-20 season. That combination of speed and pop makes him one of the more electric players in the National League right now. He’s doing it all while playing Gold Glove-level defense in center field.
The Cubs entered Wednesday’s game at 51-40, seven games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. But they’ve won seven of their last 10. The team is starting to find a rhythm. Even if they don’t catch Milwaukee, they’re looking like a solid Wild Card contender. And Crow-Armstrong is a big reason why.
He already had two homers Wednesday night. With the way he’s swinging it right now, nobody would be shocked if he added a third. The kid is locked in.
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