Why Pete Crow-Armstrong's World Baseball Classic showing matters beyond the box score

After months of build-up, the World Baseball Classic will finally begin next week, and Chicago Cubs fans have every reason to stay tuned. The Northsiders have a total of 13 players currently slated to appear in the tournament, with the highlights being Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, and Matthew Boyd for Team USA, Seiya Suzuki for Samurai Japan, and Jameson Taillon for Team Canada. Everyone will have a chance to shine and represent their respective countries, though, for many reasons, the majority of eyes are on what the team's young center fielder will do.

PCA made himself the face of the Cubs last season when he posted the first 30-30 season in franchise history from someone not named Sammy Sosa. In the first half, in particular, he looked like a superstar, getting some early recognition as a potential threat to Shohei Ohtani for MVP. Even with Kyle Tucker as their blockbuster trade acquisition, he stole the show, with his jaw-dropping center field plays that earned him a Gold Glove and a fiery personality on the field that the team has sorely lacked. Such an electric player is exactly what the WBC needs and thrives off of, even on a stacked USA roster.

However, Cubs fans all know the other side of the story. For all the first-half excellence, his overall year was brought down by a 72 wRC+ second half and a disappointing playoff showing. The final result was still a breakout season worth getting excited for, but not the kind of year that would've immediately cemented him as one of baseball's best players like it initially seemed. PCA knows better than anybody that there are improvements to be made to reach his full potential.

On-base percentage has been a focus of his for 2026, but he also mentioned in his recent profile for Chicago Magazine that he wants to better handle the day-to-day mental travails of baseball. While his emotions make him fun to watch, they also show he has a little growing up to do yet on the field, with how often he'd slam his bat or helmet in frustration last year. Bregman may be key to bringing out the best in Crow-Armstrong, given how he was hailed as a team leader who helped in the development of Boston's young core. Playing in the WBC, however, might be an even bigger boon in the long run.

PCA can show he's ready for a big year with the Cubs at the WBC

Whether PCA balls out or not in what playing time he gets for Team USA, the tournament gives him the chance to be in the clubhouse with some of baseball's best and brightest. For one, Bregman will be able to work with him in his first return trip to the event since becoming the youngest player to ever appear for the States on the world's stage in 2017. He'll also be sharing outfield time with reigning back-to-back MVP Aaron Judge, Twins veteran Byron Buxton, and young Red Sox stud Roman Anthony, whom Bregman advocated for after Corbin Carroll's injury. That's without mentioning the other stars on the roster he can pick the brains of, like Bobby Whit Jr., Bryce Harper, and another beloved clubhouse presence, and former Cub, Kyle Schwarber.

Add in manager Mark DeRosa, himself a Cubs fan-favorite, and there's a ton of collective experience for PCA to learn from while playing for the U.S. Also boasting a pitching staff headlined by Paul Skenes and a limited Tarik Skubal, this roster is expected to go far in the tournament, too. It's a rare opportunity for the young center fielder to see how the game's other bright stars do it up close and personal and learn something that changes his game for the better while playing alongside them. As a baseball lifer who seems dedicated to learning and growing, he's not likely to waste such an experience.

Even if he's not always facing big-league caliber talent, Cubs fans would certainly be reassured to see PCA hitting more like his first-half self in the WBC, or at the very least showing strides from the second half. Until he shows he can keep up a superstar level of play across a full season, there will be doubts about what degree of impact he offers on the offensive side. There's a real chance he hasn't reached his full potential yet, but it's also possible his true talent falls somewhere between his first-half and second-half numbers from 2025.

If the former is true, the WBC may prove to be the start of a monster season to follow Crow-Armstrong's 2025 breakout. It's his first properly competitive chance to show the work he's done between seasons and in Spring Training so far to make up for his weaknesses. We want to see a bit of that growth, and if he makes some international fans along the way, even better.