Pete Crow-Armstrong Has Been Best Player in Baseball Over Last 2 Weeks
I’ll keep this quick because it’s not really worth a deep dive at this point, but Pete Crow-Armstrong does deserve to be recognized for how well he’s been playing of late. There was a time earlier in the season when he looked lost at the plate, then it became a matter of hitting the ball hard with little to show for it. Things started to click during the series against the Astros, but no one really noticed because the Cubs were in the midst of a losing streak that stretched to 10 games.
Whether it was a matter of adjusting to his increased bat speed or some kind of mental tumbler falling into place, PCA has been the best player in baseball over a stretch of just over two weeks. Not a big sample, to be sure, but enough of one to show that the kid has the kind of talent that stands out even among the game’s elite players. Over his last 69 plate appearances, Crow-Armstrong is slashing .368/.464/.737 with six homers and an MLB-leading 1.6 fWAR.
That latter mark is 0.4 more than Yordan Alvarez, the only other player to have a number to the left of the decimal in the same span. Ian Happ and Michael Busch (0.6) are the only other Cubs in the top 30, which explains why the team has been unable to capitalize on PCA’s hot stretch in a big way. Hell, Happ (1.8) is the only Cub with a higher WAR number for the season than what PCA has over his last 15 games.
The cool-to-lukewarm start ensured that Crow-Armstrong’s overall numbers trail Happ in many important categories, but that 3.0 fWAR mark is still first in the NL and third overall behind Alvarez (3.3) and Bobby Witt Jr. (3.9). Defense is a major component of that calculation, which is why the young center fielder manages to rank in the stratosphere despite full-season offensive results that don’t exactly jump off the page. Yes, even though he’s made a few blunders out there.
Those who choose to cherry-pick only the gaffes will miss all the plays PCA makes that almost no one else on the planet could. It’s a lot like how Happ’s detractors choose to ignore his hot stretches because they fixate on his slumps. As nice as it would be if every player could be counted on to put up the same results every game, that’s just not realistic.
Crow-Armstrong is arguably the best defensive player in the game, and he also happens to be blessed with offensive tools that would make him an above-average contributor even if the glove wasn’t as good. Will he be able to maintain this current stretch in perpetuity? Of course not, but he’s still 4-5 years away from his prime years and has room to continue getting even better.
I feel really sorry for the folks who are trying hard not to see that, because watching this young man play the game is very special and incredibly fun.
