Chicago Cubs prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong to be Top-10 prospect in MLB?

Chicago Cubs' top prospect, outfielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong is set to start the 2023 season with Double-A Tennessee. Crow-Armstrong had a breakout season in his first full season in the Cubs' minor-league system last year and that propelled him to unseating Brennen Davis as the team's top prospect.

Crow-Armstrong participated in Spring Training with the Major League team and made a lasting impression on his future teammates and coaches with the defensive plays that he made in center field. The biggest question for Crow-Armstrong as he heads into 2023 with the Tennessee Smokies will be whether or not his offensive approach can take shape.

If it does, that is one of the reasons why Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline believes that Crow-Armstrong may become a Top-10 prospect in all of Major League Baseball by July.

"The short answer to this question is yes, we certainly could see him reach the top 10 by the time we do a full update of the rankings (Please note that we won’t do a full update by the All-Star break. That comes after the Trade Deadline). He has the tools to reach that level, especially if his newfound power continues to come, and even just by guys graduating ahead of him, he’s going to move up."

- Jonathan Mayo via MLB Pipeline

Crow-Armstrong split the 2022 season between Class-A and High-Class-A and had a slash line of .312/.376/.520/.896 with 16 home runs across the two levels. Crow-Armstrong already grades out with the highest possible rating that prospects can earn for defensive purposes with a mark of 80 but the biggest question will be if his 2022 offensive numbers are sustainable. If Crow-Armstrong finds the same offensive success with the Smokies this season that he had in Class-A in 2022, then the Cubs will have a blue-chip prospect within their ranks.

The lack of a true blue-chip prospect is what has made this version of the Cubs' rebuild different from the one that led the team to winning the World Series in 2016. If Crow-Armstrong reaches that level, that certainly would put the Cubs in a nice position moving forward.