The Focus is on Achieving that PCA
Pete Crow-Armstrong just had a really good night. He made multiple highlight-reel catches in center field, including robbing Max Muncy of a home run with two outs in the ninth inning. That was a great play even by PCA’s lofty standards, but his speed and defense are a known quantity. I just had to stop myself from using the word “gamebreaking,” like he’s a cornerback and punt returner from the 1990s or something. Crow-Armstrong’s glove is going to get him on SportsCenter, but it’s on the other side of the ball where he’ll determine how much he can help the Cubs while he’s there, as well as how long he stays in the lineup and how much money he makes over his career.
The really exciting part of PCA’s Tuesday night only shows up in the box score: He went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Crow-Armstrong was built in a lab to have his fame outstrip his usefulness as a prospect. He was a first-round pick with flashy tools, a distinctive name, and a memorable, if unimaginative, initials-based nickname. Crow-Armstrong was bought out of a major college commitment (Vanderbilt) by a big-market team (the Mets), then quickly traded in a deal Mets fans would probably rather have back. Good news: Mets fans aren’t easily rattled by that sort of thing. I should take a trip up the Turnpike and see how they feel about Jarred Kelenic these days.
Even so, players like PCA can still get lost in a sea of Aidens and Gunnars unless there’s a tentpole piece of trivia to remember them by. Playing in the Little League World Series is a good one, or having an unusual haircut or an interesting non-baseball-related skill. Crow-Armstrong has one, and it’s a blessing and a curse. More than 100 games into his big league career, the most-known fact about him is probably still that his mother played Mrs. Heywood in Little Big League. The one way to change that is to perform, and Crow-Armstrong is still the second-most-successful child of actors who matriculated from Harvard-Westlake School, was drafted in the middle of the first round by an NL East team, got traded, and then established himself as a big leaguer in Chicago. And there’s a ways to go before he catches Lucas Giolito. But early indications are promising. Players who can field like PCA — 96th percentile range and 95th percentile arm strength, according to Baseball Savant — and run like PCA — 99th percentile sprint speed — are always going to have some kind of role on a major league roster if they can hit even a little. What kind of role depends, obviously, on how much they hit.
Despite having played just 106 games so far, Crow-Armstrong has produced 5.2 runs above average as a baserunner, which is eighth among all MLB players regardless of playing time. His 10.5 defensive runs rate fifth among all outfielders. (His bonkers Tuesday night alone was worth about a run and a half.) Extrapolating those numbers out to 550 plate appearances and 1,000 defensive innings brings the total to over 20 combined defensive and baserunning runs above average. If Crow-Armstrong could produce 20 combined defensive and baserunning runs above average, that’d be quite an achievement. It’s been done only nine times in the past 10 seasons by an outfielder with 500 or more plate appearances.
Players with elite defensive and baserunning skills can impact a game in significant ways. The success of Pete Crow-Armstrong in the outfield is evident through his remarkable stats. Despite being a relatively new player in the league, Crow-Armstrong has demonstrated exceptional talent both defensively and on the base paths. With continued improvement in his hitting, Crow-Armstrong has the potential to become a valuable asset for the Chicago Cubs and a prominent figure in the league for years to come.
