After a disappointing weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals, things won’t be getting easier for the Chicago Cubs as they head north of the border to face the Toronto Blue Jays.
Things haven’t been going well for the Cubs so far in the second half of the season. This is a team that appeared to be a lock to win the National League Central at one point, but that now seems highly unlikely.
Due to their struggles and the Milwaukee Brewers being the hottest team in baseball, Chicago is likely going to be in a Wild Card spot in the NL this year. While the struggles of late are disappointing, there is still a lot to like about this team heading down the stretch.
While the offense has been struggling of late, this is still a unit that is one of the best in baseball. If they can get going again, the lineup is World Series caliber. Furthermore, the hope for the starting rotation is that some of their injured pitchers will return and help a unit that needs some depth.
One of the main reasons for the success of the team was the emergence of a new young star. Even though he may have cooled off a bit at the plate, it has been an incredible campaign.
Jesse Rogers of ESPN recently wrote about what the rest of the season might look like for emerging Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong.
“It would be hard for Crow-Armstrong to repeat his first half, when he hit 21 home runs in about nine weeks, so expect great glove work the rest of the way, a bunch of stolen bases and the more occasional home run -- at least compared with his previous pace.”
For quite some time, Crow-Armstrong was a legitimate MVP candidate in the NL. However, he has cooled off a bit from his torrid start to the campaign, and that is to be expected.
How Good Has PCA Been?
Overall, he has been fantastic for Chicago and is a major reason for their success this year. This campaign, he has slashed .259/.296/.527 with 27 home runs, 78 RBI, and 30 stolen bases.
With a 30/30 season being almost a certainty, it has been a great year for the young outfielder. However, the 23-year-old might be hitting a little bit of a wall in August.
The start to this month has been a struggle, with the slugger slashing .091/.118/.121 without a home run or RBI. Slumps are going to happen throughout a long season, and the nice thing about Crow-Armstrong is that even if he isn’t hitting well, he provides a lot of value on the bases and defensively.
Overall, even though he might be in a funk right now, there is reason to believe, based on the rest of the campaign, that he will snap out of it. Getting to the 30/30 mark would be a massive accomplishment for him, and that seems like a lock at this point.
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