Back in 2019, Nico Hoerner made his MLB debut in September after a depleted roster forced the Chicago Cubs to call up their 2018 first round pick to come in and start at shortstop. As of now, the Cubs aren’t dealing with any significant injuries to their position group and hopefully they don’t as they try to chase down a playoff spot, but we might be seeing another highly-ranked prospect getting a September call up.
Cubs GM Carter Hawkins was on 670 The Score on Tuesday and during his interview on the Parkins & Spiegel Show, he said that Pete Crow-Armstrong is definitely being considered when it comes to players getting called up in September from the minor leagues.
Via Audacy.
“Not surprised by any means,” Hawkins said. “I’m definitely encouraged by the adjustments that he’s been able to make. You see his plate discipline continue to get better and better. He’s really driving pitches that he can hit and being aggressive in the zone and unaggressive out of the zone. The defense has remained, and the baserunning has a chance to be special. Just learning when to make aggressive decisions and not always being on go is something that he’ll have to have to kind of tamper down over the course of the rest of his career. But the long and short of it is we’re really encouraged by the year he’s had thus far, and definitely the sky is the limit.”
The Cubs promoted Crow-Armstrong up to Triple-A to begin the month of August after the center fielder posted an .898 OPS with a slash line of .289/.371/.527, hitting 14 home runs with 27 stolen bases in Double-A.
PCA’s first couple of games with the Iowa Cubs were forgetful, as he went 0-for-6, with four strikeouts and a walk. Since then, the left-handed hitting outfielder has recorded a hit in nine straight games.
On Tuesday night, Crow-Armstrong was 2-for-5, which included a walk-off, two-run home run in the 10th inning against the Louisville Bats.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 9-Game Hitting Streak
13-for-39, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 13 R, 3 2B, 7 BB, 2 SB
.333/.435/.718, 15.2 BB%, 19.6 K%
1.153 OPS, 178 wRC+
The Cubs currently have two spots free on their 40-man roster, so it would not be an issue when needing to add PCA in September. We’ve talked about how his skillset is perfect for any contending team, as he can play elite defense and has great speed on the bases. However, what if Christopher Morel continues to struggle at the plate? David Ross could certainly find some playing time for Crow-Armstrong if Morel keeps regressing during the next few weeks.
Overall this season, PCA has a slash line of .289/.376/.539, with 18 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He’s driven in 67 runs, scored 81 times, has 22 doubles and 5 triples. Plus, since May 9, Crow-Armstrong has drawn 37 walks, a 12% walk rate in his last 308 plate appearances.
You can listen to the entire Carter Hawkins interview below.
Plus, make sure to check out Wednesday night’s Cubs vs. White Sox game live on Playback.
