Is Pete Crow-Armstrong ready to take over as Cubs' next star? Spring results say yes.

The young outfielder has been doing it all, dominating Cactus League action this spring.
ByJake Misener|
John E. Moore III/GettyImages

Look, if spring training results translated to anything meaningful, David Bote would be a Chicago Cubs legend - next in line for a statue in Gallagher Way outside Wrigley Field. But they don't.

Still, what Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has done so far this spring has caught everyone's eye - and with good reason. In addition to his usual chaos-creating ways on the basepaths, he's shown an improved eye and plate discipline and some real power, as well. The latest head-turning performance came on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners in front of a Cactus League record crowd at Sloan Park.

“I definitely want to take pride in eventually becoming that well-rounded player,” Crow-Armstrong told MLB.com. “And I think that I’m setting myself up well to do that. That’s the goal at the end of the day, is to go play Gold Glove defense first and foremost, and then be able to produce wherever I’m at in the lineup.”

Just days earlier, PCA went viral by scoring from second base on a passed ball in a game against the Royals - but on Saturday, it was a pair of impressive home runs that had everyone talking about the Cubs' budding superstar, including a mammoth grand slam to dead center.

We saw flashes of what Crow-Armstrong could be offensively last year as he worked his way through some pretty deep rookie season struggles early in the campaign to become one of the team's most important hitters down the stretch. From July 31 on, he slashed .287/.338/.470 that, when paired with his elite baserunning and defensive talents, made him an elite presence on the diamond.

The hope heading into 2025 is that showing was a sign of things to come and, if his Cactus League performance is any indication, that may very well be the case. The addition of Kyle Tucker bolsters the top of the order, but for this team to be a legitimate contender, it's going to be the bottom-of-the-order production from PCA, Miguel Amaya and Matt Shaw that makes the difference.

Cubs fans are already envisioning Crow-Armstrong patrolling the Wrigley outfield for years to come and he's a prime early-career extension candidate. But there's now even more excitement not for the future, but for what he could mean to the team in 2025 if he turns in a monster breakout season.

Schedule