Pete Crow-Armstrong has changed his game for the better as the Cubs' leadoff hitter

While some Chicago Cubs hitters continue to struggle at the plate (I'm looking at you, Dansby Swanson) Pete Crow-Armstrong seems to be finding his groove. In fact, Crow-Armstrong has been showcasing a level of plate discipline better than we've seen from him all year, and perhaps better than at any point in his career. And it coincides with manager Craig Counsell recently moving the center fielder into the leadoff spot.

It's only an eight-game sample size, but the results have been promising. Notably, Crow-Armstrong is seeing a lot of pitches, hitting the ball hard and setting the table for the Cubs' offense. The table shows Crow-Armstrong's numbers compared to similar sample sizes when he's hitting in other spots of the lineup.

And his leadoff contributions hit a peak on Saturday's game in St. Louis, when Crow-Armstrong collected four hits and a couple of defensive gems in center field. Oh yeah, he also blasted the hardest hit ball of his career (114.6 MPH) into the bleachers, effectively silencing all the shirtless frat boys who were chanting "overrated."

Add a 156 wRC+ and a 72.7 percent hard hit rate, and I can comfortably say that Crow-Armstrong has been excellent as a leadoff hitter this year. Something is clicking for the 24-year-old in that position, and the Cubs should leave him there, because hitting leadoff has also broken Crow-Armstrong out of the funk he was in following his controversial exchange with that White Sox fan.

Craig Counsell has to keep Pete Crow-Armstrong in the leadoff spot

With all that success so far, and Nico Hoerner's recent struggles at the plate, the Cubs have an answer in the leadoff spot. So why mess with it if it's working? On paper, Crow-Armstrong is a perfect leadoff man.

He is a home run threat with elite speed. If he can keep seeing pitches and drawing more walks, the stolen base numbers will also begin to rise and give the Cubs more opportunities to score early. After that ugly 10-game losing streak, when the team was outscored 65-25, Crow-Armstrong can be that spark the team needs to overcome slumping players.

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