The Chicago Cubs have so much faith in the 22-year-old Pete Crow-Armstrong that he was penciled in as the team’s starting centerfielder, even when Cody Bellinger was still in the picture. He was such a favored son that he was already given that starting centerfield gig for 2025 before the 2024 season was even over.
It’s not hard to see why that is.
Pete Crow-Armstrong Can Be Special
Aside from being a dazzling defender with elite skills, Crow-Armstrong is a spark plug, a fire starter who can ignite the Cubs offense even when batting in the eighth spot in the order.
And even when he’s not hitting, he’s an undeniable asset to the team for his defense, for his speed, and for his raw enthusiasm.
Last season was a mixed bag for the young player, with some noteworthy fails, but also some very notable successes. His second-half performance, after a demotion to Triple-A earlier in the season, gave hope that PCA was on the right track.
Dark Cloud Around Silver Lining?
But there may be enough of a dark cloud around the silver lining to worry fans.
Yes, his second-half numbers were vastly improved over his first-half figures, but much of that improvement came exclusively in the month of August, where he batted .314 and looked like an entirely different player. His number dipped considerably in September/October. As a matter of fact, if you exclude that one month of August, Crow-Armstrong’s batting average for the season was a feeble .213.
That may come off as cynical Chicago Cub fan thinking, but it should also serve as a bit of a warning bell.
What if he just ISN’T the player the Cubs believe he can be? What’s the plan if he proves to be a bust and even his glove starts to fail him as he pushes harder and harder to prove that he belongs?
The answer to that is a definitive “nobody knows.”
No Plan For PCA Failure
As of right now, the Cubs are “all in” on Crow-Arsmtrong and there doesn’t appear to be a plan in place should they need to look elsewhere for an every day centerfield presence.
In theory, prospect Kevin Alcantara could move in. But the 22-year-old is even less proven than Crow-Armstrong and is not guaranteed major league-ready at this point.
Left fielder Ian Happ has played center before and could be slotted over there, with Seiya Suzuki laboring to play every day left field. That would be one answer, but one where the Gold Glove Happ is forced to play out of position and where the sometimes sloppy Suzuki gets way too many innings in the outfield.
By the time the Cubs decide the PCA experiment was a bust, it would be too late in the season to acquire a suitable every day centerfielder– unless they want to deal some prospects for a trade deadline acquisition. So, that’s probably not a viable option.
These are just the things that the Cubs front office needs to worry about. They’ve talked at great length about the need for depth on the team and they have to prepare in advance for the unexpected, whether it be the collapse of a well-regarded prospect or injury.
As of right now, however, Pete Crow-Armstrong will be the Cubs’ “ride or die” centerfielder and there is no Plan B.
