Cubs star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had a tough time tracking fly balls during Friday’s series opener against the White Sox and on once occasion had a routine out fall in for a hit. White Sox fans were salivating at the chance to troll Crow-Armstrong, who in just over a year of time playing in the big leagues has established himself as the best defensive outfielder in the game.
Brooks Baldwin popped one up to left-center field in the second inning and although Crow-Armstrong did his best to try and shield the sun from his eyes, he never quite tracked the ball that ended up dropping over his head.
No doubt, it was a rough moment for PCA, but he quickly made up for the lost sun ball by clobbering his 12th home run of the season.
Shane Smith was the victim of some bad defense behind him in the second inning, but the right-handed pitcher didn’t help his case by throwing PCA a meatball that was deposited into the right-field stands. In one swing, the Cubs went up 5-2 and never looked back on Friday, beating the White Sox 13-3.
That was just the start for Crow-Armstrong, who proceeded to drive in three more runs and get three more hits against the White Sox.
Following the four-hit, six-RBI performance Crow-Armstrong now sits atop the National League leaderboard at 2.8 fWAR. He’s slashing .282/.358/.612, with 12 HR, 36 RBI and a 143 wRC+. All 12 of PCA’s home runs have come since April 13, and he now has the most home runs since that date among all MLB hitters.
There is only one player who has been more valuable so far in 2025, and that’s Aaron Judge, who is on a different planet right now.
Incredible. Pete Crow-Armstrong is turning into a superstar right in front of our eyes.
