Pete Crow-Armstrong says baseball’s ‘cool’ factor is about passing the torch his own way

Pete Crow-Armstrong showed up to the MLB All-Star Game red carpet in a crisp white suit and a pair of shades that said I belong here. But when someone asked him earlier Tuesday whether he sees himself as part of making baseball cool again, the Cubs outfielder didn’t take the bait. He passed the credit backward and forward.

“That’s my generation too. I think my age group of players, the new wave coming in, we all have a different kind of perspective of the game,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Just because we were in such a cool transitional period. Guys like [Miguel Cabrera], all those guys being a big part of my life. But now then, you got [Francisco] Lindor, [Aaron Judge], that are the vets. We’re just trying to follow in their footsteps. But do it our way as well.”

It’s a smart answer from a 24-year-old who didn’t exactly explode onto the scene right away. Crow-Armstrong made his MLB debut in 2023, but it wasn’t until the 2025 season that he started looking like the kind of player who makes a franchise rethink its long-term plans. And he hasn’t let up since.

Through 358 at-bats this season, Crow-Armstrong has 104 hits, 21 home runs and 53 RBIs. He’s slashing .291/.386 with a 5.8 WAR that leads all of Major League Baseball. He’s also stolen 24 bases and is on pace to blow past his career-high 31 homers from a year ago.

Defense sells tickets, but the bat keeps him there

The flashy glove work in center field is what first got people talking. The diving catches, the throws, the way he seems to glide. But Crow-Armstrong has turned himself into a complete player, and that’s what earns you the red carpet treatment at the Midsummer Classic.

When he talks about the vets who shaped him, he mentions Cabrera, a future Hall of Famer whose prime ended before Crow-Armstrong was even in high school. Then he points to Lindor and Judge as the current standard-bearers. It’s a small window into how he thinks: respect the past, learn from the present, do it your own way.

That last part matters. Because for all the talk about baseball needing younger stars who bring personality and swagger, Crow-Armstrong isn’t trying to be anybody else. He’s just playing hard and letting the style come naturally. The red carpet stuff is fun. But the numbers are better.

And with the second half of the season about to start, the Cubs have a legit star in the making — one who’s in no rush to define what “cool” means for everyone else.