Cubs prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong named as breakout candidate

Landing a 2020 first-rounder in exchange for two-plus months of Javier Baez might have been the steal of the deadline for Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer. Pete Crow-Armstrong is yet to play a game with his new organization after undergoing season-ending surgery, but big things could be on the horizon.

MLB.com tapped Crow-Armstrong as the Cubs’ breakout prospect heading into 2022, which, if it came to fruition, would be a huge boost to the team’s long-term outlook. Already, top prospect Brennen Davis offers a ton of hope in the outfield and adding Crow-Armstrong to the mix would certainly be welcome.

Here’s what the write-up had to say about Chicago’s fifth-ranked prospect:

When the Cubs acquired Crow-Armstrong from the Mets in exchange for Javier Báez and Trevor Williams in July, a front-office executive with another club called it the steal of the Trade Deadline. A first-round pick as a California high schooler in 2020, Crow-Armstrong could be a plus hitter and runner and even better as a center-field defender.

We’re still a few years from seeing Crow-Armstrong patrolling the outfield at Wrigley Field. But as we transition out of the era headlined by the 2016 World Series title, rebuilding the farm system and replenishing the organization’s depth will be key as Hoyer looks to cement his own legacy at the North Side.

The Cubs haven’t had a legitimate (at least in my mind) everyday center fielder since Dexter Fowler six years ago. Ian Happ, who’s projected to start in center in 2022, fits better in left field, but Crow-Armstrong could be the best-fielding center fielder the Cubs have had in some time. MLB.com has him with a 65 field tool and 60 run, saying he could very well be a Gold Glover in the future.

Chicago Cubs: Outfield prospects will get plenty of attention in 2022

We know a lot about Davis and are obviously aware of the hype surrounding Crow-Armstrong. But with guys like Nelson Velasquez, Owen Caissie, Alexander Canario and Kevin Alcantara all in the system now, Chicago could be en route to a powerful outfield trio in the not-so-distant future.

In the meantime, the Cubs will look to really figure out what exactly they have at the big league level in 2022. At season’s end, hopefully they have the answers they’re looking for and can begin to plot a course forward – one that ends in passing the torch to this next generation.