The numbers don’t lie: Pete Crow-Armstrong got criminally snubbed in All-Star voting

Pete Crow-Armstrong has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last month, helping fuel the Cubs' offense while he rides a 28-game on-base streak. But having one of the best offensive stretches this year — while statistically being the best defensive outfielder in baseball — apparently isn't enough for an All-Star nod. Thanks to the broken fan-voting process, Crow-Armstrong has been criminally snubbed in this year's selection process.

Despite having the highest WAR of any other player in baseball, let alone outfielders, Crow-Armstrong will not be a starter in the 2026 All-Star Game. Six outfielders were selected to advance to Phase 2 of the voting process, where the top three vote-getters will nab starting spots. Meanwhile, Crow-Armstrong finished 10th among National League outfielders.

Crow-Armstrong still has a good chance to be selected as a reserve outfielder since those spots are selected by player ballots and the MLB Commissioner's Office. But this highlights a major flaw in the fan-voting process since Crow-Armstrong is better than most other candidates in several offensive categories.

Not to mention the fact that Teoscar Hernández and Ronald Acuña Jr. have missed significant chunks of the season with injuries. Cubs fans have every right to question why All-Star starters are selected via a popularity contest.

Why did Cubs' superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong miss the cut?

The fact that two Dodgers players and two Braves players made it past phase 1 is telling. Both teams have been leading their respective divisions for most of the 2026 season. Their fans are rightly motivated to vote for their favorite players, and any individual fan can cast up to five ballots per day through the MLB website and mobile apps.

While market size and team records explain part of the voting, Crow-Armstrong's reputation also took a major hit in May. Two weeks before All-Star voting began on June 3, the young outfielder invited national backlash when he got into an ugly exchange with a White Sox fan on the field. His postgame response to the vulgar altercation didn't help.

There's no good excuse for Crow-Armstrong did. To his credit, Crow-Armstrong did apoligize the next day. MLB players are human beings who make mistakes just like anybody else. I hope he learned from the situation and is better in the future.

The off-the-field nonsense aside, I still think that players should be chosen for the All-Star Game based on their production on the field. And Crow-Armstrong has a better case than several of the other outfielders who advanced. Entering this weekend's series in Milwaukee, he was slashing .395/.462/789 with 45 hits, 11 home runs and a 241 wRC+. He also hit for the cycle and helped the Cubs complete a four-game sweep on the road against the New York Mets, which culminated with the team firing their manager.

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