Folks, Pete Crow-Armstrong looks like the real deal and now he’s even channeling his inner Anthony Rizzo to come up with amazing slides down at Double-A with the Tennessee Smokies.
The Cubs top prospect is off to a hot start in the minors and on Friday night he nearly broke the internet after his slide into third base in the top of the eighth inning. It was Crow-Armstrong’s third hit against the Montgomery Biscuits that scored Pablo Aliendo. PCA roped a ball off the center field wall and raced toward third base, where it looked like he was going to be thrown out after a good relay.
But then…magic happened.
Yes, Javier Báez was El Mago with the Cubs and he had many jaw-dropping slides during his time in Chicago, but that PCA slide brings me back to 2015, when Anthony Rizzo tucked his left leg in and fooled Daniel Murphy in New York against the Mets on a successful stolen base attempt at third base.
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What makes PCA’s slide so impressive, though, is the speed at which he’s going and the body control he has to be able to avoid the tag and not mess up his leg. Oh and that celebration was pure joy and excitement from a dude who just did something awesome and knows it.
After his three-hit game on Friday, Crow-Armstrong is now 10-for-28, slashing .357/.400/.536, with two triples and a double. The center fielder is also 5-for-6 in stole base attempts and has scored six runs in seven games.
Meanwhile, PCA’s outfield partner Owen Caissie continued his red-hot streak on Friday, too. After hitting four home runs and a triple in his previous two games, Caissie went 2-for-5 with a double and another run driven in. The 20-year-old is now slashing .345/.367/.897 in 30 plate appearances at Double-A.
While Crow-Armstrong had the highlight of the night, it was Bryce Ball who delivered the biggest hit of the game for the Smokies in their 11-5 win. The left-handed hitter blasted a grand slam with two outs in the fifth inning to break the game wide open for Tennessee.
Right-handed hitter Jordan Nwogu also homered in his second straight game for the Smokies against the Biscuits.
Other Cubs Prospects Notes
Down at advanced A-Ball, right-handed slugger Haydn McGeary blasted a home run for the second game in a row for the South Bend Cubs. The 23-year-old has a 1.030 OPS in 28 at-bats, with 7 RBI and 5 runs scored in seven games.
Left-handed hitting catcher Moises Ballesteros crushed a grand slam with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He’s 19-years-old. Definitely remember his name.
And well, Matt Mervis and Christopher Morel keep showing everyone that Triple-A isn’t a challenge for them.
I know Eric Hosmer is still producing solid results, but if you look even a bit deep into his numbers, then you’ll realize that Hosmer is getting by with a good amount of luck on the balls he’s putting in play.
I still think that by May, the Cubs will call up Matt Mervis because that dude hasn’t stopped being a good hitter since last year.
