Pete Crow-Armstrong pondered the question, then smiled.
The Chicago Cubs center fielder was asked how much more room he has for improvement. After all, he is the favorite to win the National League MVP award.
“We’ll see,” the 24-year-old said. “We’ll see. Hopefully, there is some more there. I want to think so.”
It would be hard to imagine playing at a much higher level. Crow-Armstrong’s 7.3 bWAR leads the major leagues, and he is hitting .288/.386/.552 with 26 home runs, 28 stolen bases and 14 defensive runs saved through 115 games.
“He can do everything,” Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga said through a translator. “He can hit home runs, he can hit for extra bases, he gets on base, he can steal bases, he plays great defense. It is so much fun to watch. He is playing like an MVP. I’m glad he is on our team. He is always doing something exciting.”
Pete Crow-Armstrong add consistency to excitement
Exciting is indeed the right word to describe Crow-Armstrong for all reasons Imanaga mentioned. Crow-Armstrong’s style of play has been eye-opening since arriving in the major leagues in 2023 with a 13-game cameo.
Crow-Armstrong had a breakout season last year when he was selected to his first All-Star Game, won a Gold Glove and finished ninth in NL MVP voting. Crow-Armstrong had 5.9 bWAR, a .247/.287/.471 slash line, 31 homers and 35 steals.
However, he also struck out 155 times while drawing just 29 walks over 647 plate appearances. Further dampening the season was a poor second half as Crow-Armstrong batted .216/.262/.372 with six home runs in 62 games.
How Pete Crow-Armstrong slows game down
Thus, it was fair to wonder if Crow-Armstrong was truly an emerging superstar or just a good big-league player. The fiery Crow-Armstrong also understood the critics’ concerns and knew he had to make more consistent contact and rein in his emotions after being the unofficial MLB leader in bats slammed and helmets thrown.
Strikeouts are still a problem as he has punched out 134 times in 506 trips to the plate. Yet Crow-Armstrong’s 60 walks more than double his total from 2025, and he no longer steps into the batter’s box wildly hacking at most pitches.
"If I had a vote and had to vote today, I'd vote Pete Crow-Armstrong."
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) August 6, 2026
BK digs in on the NL MVP race with both Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani providing strong cases. pic.twitter.com/mtqGeI7lxk
“I think it’s related to how he’s seeing the ball,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s got a lot of confidence. He’s in a situation where he’s on go but can say no, if that makes sense.”
In other words, Crow-Armstrong still has an aggressive mindset at the plate but is more willing to take bad pitches. Crow-Armstrong credits Cubs assistant hitting coach John Malle for refining his hitting approach, which has evolved over four years since they first worked together at Triple-A Iowa in 2023.
“He’s been like just the driving force of so much of my success,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I love him, and he's just good at what he does. So, not afraid to be real with me, and I appreciate that the most, I think, just because it shows me we’ve built a nice relationship, but at the same time, like, that's something I need. So, in game, he's huge. Like, you can't really work on much (much mechanically) in games. So, it’s more about reminding me to flush stuff.”
Flushing stuff is baseball parlance for moving on after something bad happens. Crow-Armstrong has struggled with that in the past but is getting better, as evidenced by fewer helmet and bat slams following strikeouts.
“He’s got me buying into the bigger picture, and the identity of this team has really helped me personally,” Crow-Armstrong said. “It’s just how big you let your emotions get. I feel like for me, they usually limit me from moving on like that. So, now if I strike out or make an out, I go out and play defense. I’m just continuing to compete, really. Simple fixes to my game, just sometimes it’s hard to do, though I’m getting better at it.”
Crow-Armstrong wants ultimate prize
While Crow-Armstrong appreciates the continuous chants of “PCA” at Wrigley Field and on the road – “you always want people cheering for you" – and the individual accomplishments, what he really wants is for the Cubs to win the World Series 10 years after the franchise broke a 108-year title drought in 2016.
The Cubs raised their record to 66- 49 after sweeping a three-game series from the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers this week. The Cubs are in second place in the NL Central, 5 ½ games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, but hold a five-game lead in wild card standings.
“It’s a lot of big things we can achieve with the group,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I love what we got, and I love what we’re doing.”
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