Pete Crow-Armstrong will make a case to be the best CF in the NL Central in 2025

The Cub sophomore is challenging a Pirate dynamo for the top spot

Cincinnati Reds v Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds v Chicago Cubs | Michael Reaves/GettyImages
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2. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs

I'm on the record of being all-in on PCA's 2025 projection. In a best-case scenario in 2025, Crow-Armstrong posts something like 20 homers with 40 steals and wins a Gold Glove. He'll never put up the eye-popping exit velocity numbers that Cruz does and doesn't walk as much, but the swaggy Cubs outfielder is even better than him on the basepaths and has a history of slugging in the minor leagues that could portend a sizable improvement in the category for 2025. Crow-Armstrong doesn't have the upside at the plate like Cruz, but he'll be close to providing the same amount of total value in 2025 if the Pirate doesn't figure out how to avoid doing things like this frequently.

3. Garrett Mitchell, Brewers

The more I dig into these positional rankings, the more the Brewers scare me. They scare Miguel Amaya even more- Mitchell is yet another guy with elite speed in Milwaukee. If he can play a full season, the solidly built UCLA product will steal 30+ bases. Mitchell provides strong on-base skills, a good slug, and above-average defense on top of that speed. The issue? Mitchell has never played more than 70 games in a season and has suffered multiple injuries. If he stays healthy, Mitchell could push for an All-Star spot. The injuries and lack of multiple elite tools, however, slot him behind PCA and Cruz.

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