Recent stretch suggests an important development for Cubs' rookie

Jordan Campbell

St. Louis Cardinals v Chicago Cubs / Justin Casterline/GettyImages

As the Chicago Cubs hold onto the faint scent of being in postseason contention, the focus for the remainder of the season should not be on the false flag that a postseason appearance holds for this year's team.

Even though the Cubs won three of four against the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend, Pete Crow-Armstrong's error in Saturday's loss is what many are still talking about. For someone in Crow-Armstrong, who is in the lineup because of his defensive ability, he needs to make that play, especially since he called off a Gold Glover in Nico Hoerner.

But, defensive is not what the Cubs need to see from Crow-Armstrong over the final two months of the season. The Cubs need to see Crow-Armstrong take a step forward with his offensive profile.

The difference between Crow-Armstrong becoming a fixture in center field and at the top of the Cubs' lineup or being the next Albert Almora will be his ability to be a competent offensive player.

There are early signs that Crow-Armstrong is beginning to figure it out offensively. Over his last 25 plate appearances, Crow-Armstrong is slashing .250/.280/.417 with a 92 wRC+. It's an entirely too small of a sample size to say that Crow-Armstrong has figured it out but we are beginning to see him approach the level of an average offensive player. Which, given his speed, Crow-Armstrong being an average offensive player likely means even more scoring opportunities for the Cubs' offense.

Pete Crow-Armstrong may be starting to figure it out.

The conversation with Crow-Armstrong over these next two months is similar to the one that the Cubs should be having with Moises Ballesteros. The Cubs need to use these final two months to get a true projection of the offensive player that Crow-Armstrong will be in 2025. That will go a long way in their roster construction this offseason.

Jordan Campbell

For nearly 15 years, Jordan has been a workhorse across the FanSided network - including being the inaugural site expert for Cubbies Crib, as well as a stop at Da Windy City as the site expert. In addition to returning to be a Co-Site Expert at Cubbies Crib, Jordan was previously the Site Expert at Bear Goggles On. In the years since, Jordan has joined FanSided's full-time team, serving as a staff writer for the MLB division. Jordan's work can be seen across the MLB division, including a consistent presence on our Cubs, Twins, Astros, and Tigers sites. Since 2010, Jordan has dedicated his craft to providing insightful commentary on all things Chicago sports, and he has enjoyed his venture into all things Major League Baseball.