Pete Crow-Armstrong on Pace to Join Elite Group in Cubs History

The Chicago Cubs have the lead in the National League Central with stellar offensive play and defensive prowess to complement it.

It’s been a rough month for the Cubs, as they only have won two series in June — and against subpar opponents.

However, slumps are to be expected over the course of a 162-game season, and the pointed needs of starting rotation and bullpen help should be addressed by president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer at the MLB trade deadline.

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Many teams will be in the market for pitchers, but not many contenders are shaping up to be as well-rounded as Chicago.

Despite the down month, they still hold the third-best wRC+ (116) in baseball.

Much of the dominance on offense has come from the strong duo of Cubs’ outfielders, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki, whose 20-plus home runs mark the club’s first time since 2016 that a pair of players reached that mark before the All-Star break.

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In addition, Chicago is second-best in baseball with 43 defensive runs saved.

That’s all a comprehensive strength that MLB insider David Schoenfield of ESPN.com believes separates them as contenders.

Schoenfield, citing the club's offense, defense, and Crow-Armstrong, sees a team operating efficiently.

While their average jumped from 5.36 runs per game to 5.42 runs per game entering play on June 23, it still is second in the majors behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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As Schoenfield points out, the last time the franchise came close to that average was in 2008 (5.31), and they’re averaging their best mark since 1935.

When adjusted for league context, this year’s squad has their highest wRC+ since 1900.

Not only are the Cubs second in the majors in defensive runs saved, but also in Statcast’s fielding value as of June 21.

Crow-Armstrong embodies all the strengths of Chicago.

While WAR fluctuates throughout a season, Schoenfield lists Crow-Armstrong’s 4.3 WAR through 74 games on a season-long pace for 9.5.

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Should Crow-Armstrong reach that elusive mark, he’ll join a group of four Cubs position players in franchise history: Rogers Hornsby in 1929 (10.6), Sammy Sosa in 2001 (10.3), Ernie Banks in 1959 (10.2), and Ron Santo in 1967 (9.8).

His metrics seem to defy analytics that would say Crow-Armstrong can’t retain that pace with a league-worst chase rate.

That hasn’t happened through his team-leading 21 home runs, including one that traveled 452 feet just days ago.

“In the Statcast metrics, he ranks in the 100th percentile in fielding value, 99th percentile in baserunning value, and 89th percentile in batting value. Call that the triple crown of awesomeness,” Schoenfield writes.

Crow-Armstrong’s seven defensive runs saved through 76 games are on pace to top his career high of 11 through 117 games last year. He’s also tied for seventh in baseball with nine outs above average. He has yet to record an error in his 2025 campaign.

Without improvement in pitching, defensive fielding won't propel Chicago to a World Series title.

However, with the offensive metrics the Cubs are hitting through June despite the recent downturn, they have one of the better assessments of contenders by Schoenfield, with a lot of due credit to Crow-Armstrong.