Column: Why Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong is content with just being himself

Chicago Tribune

2 days ago

Don't let the chest-thumping on home run trots fool you.
Pete Crow-Armstrong doesn't think of himself as being in the same category as the guys who launch balls out of ballparks with the ease of tying their shoes.
When I asked Crow-Armstrong in Detroit whether he'd be interested in participating in the Home Run Derby if he goes to next month's All-Star Game in Atlanta, he hedged.
'I look at some of the dudes that do that, and I'm like, I don't know if I have that same kind of pop,' he replied. 'Maybe one of these days I'll go.'
It was a question that would've sounded ridiculous a couple of months ago. But these are interesting times for Crow-Armstrong, a speedy, Gold Glove-caliber center fielder who snuck up on the rest of the league with a show of power that few saw coming.
As the Cubs began a three-game series in Philadelphia on Monday, Crow-Armstrong was tied for eighth in the majors with 17 home runs, despite going homerless and posting a .258 slugging percentage over his first 17 games.
Crow-Armstrong seemingly flipped on a switch April 13 at Dodger Stadium with a two-home-run game, and entered Monday with a .663 slugging percentage and .993 OPS over 48 games since that tepid start.
Where this will go is anyone's guess, but the power display shows no signs of slowing down.
Crow-Armstrong does not assume he will even make the National League team, saying, 'If it happens, it happens.' He looks at it as a win-win situation.
'If it doesn't happen, I get a week to decompress,' he said. 'Our schedule has been fun so far with who we've played and the kind of atmosphere we've gotten to be in. That makes it easy for it to just be about baseball, to be about that day.'
But at this point, it would be a shock if Crow-Armstrong is not the NL's starting center fielder. And with MLB and ESPN looking to juice up the Home Run Derby with some new blood, he would seem to be just the kind of player who gets an invite, especially since the two biggest stars will likely decline. Aaron Judge has already said he was not participating, and Shohei Ohtani seems likely to follow Judge in sitting it out.
'I like watching the derby,' Crow-Armstrong said. 'It's so fun seeing guys that can put on a show in (batting practice). I don't know if I have the stamina for that. I don't know if I'm the guy for the derby.'
Crow-Armstrong certainly doesn't mash like some of the top sluggers, at least distance-wise. He's only fifth on the Cubs with an average home run distance of 389 feet, according to the Statcast leaderboard, behind Seiya Suzuki (401 feet), Dansby Swanson (398), Michael Busch (397) and Kyle Tucker (397).
Most of the elite sluggers average 400 feet or more. It doesn't matter how far you hit them as long as they go out, but typically the Home Run Derby is an occasion for prodigious shots. Crow-Armstrong's longest home run in 2025 is 418 feet, which ranks 135th in distance this season, equaling teammate Carson Kelly.
In Crow-Armstrong's eyes, Tucker, who is also likely to make the NL squad, would be a better Cubs representative for the derby. Suzuki could also fill the bill.
Manager Craig Counsell declined to speculate Sunday on which Cubs would make the NL team or be invited to the Home Run Derby.
When I asked whether Crow-Armstrong's last six weeks of slugging suggest he'll become a consistent power threat, Counsell was curious to find out himself.
'Look, it's a young player, so often you're going to see things you haven't seen from young players,' he said. 'But it's natural to ask those questions. I don't know if he can keep it up. He's doing great right now. He's playing well, and from the same perspective, I think he just wants to keep playing well, and (if) that means home runs, great.'
Counsell said the beauty of baseball is that it's so unpredictable. No one really knows which young players will find themselves early, which ones will take a while longer to develop, and which ones will just never pan out. Crow-Armstrong took some punches early in 2024, then figured it out by the middle of the summer and has blossomed in '25.
'That's why Pete is so fun to watch,' he said. 'We are going to see things still that we haven't seen from Pete, and that's fun to look forward to, for sure. Both sides of it. That's part of growing up, part of being a great player. He's met those challenges, but he's going to have more of those challenges in front of him.'
At the age of 23, Crow-Armstrong still has much to learn. Pitchers know he is a free-swinger who seldom takes walks. His 4.7% walk rate was the 16th-lowest among qualified hitters on Monday, according to FanGraphs. But he's able to get to a lot of pitches other hitters don't, and has shown he can succeed without being patient.
'The league is going to try to adjust, no question,' Counsell recently said. 'That's what the league does, that's why you've got to get your popcorn. There is this moniker, bad ball hitter. There are not many guys that have done it, so it makes your path a little less traveled.'
Outside of the game, he also will have to adjust to the occupational hazards of stardom — the added media attention, fans recognizing him in public and asking for autographs or selfies. He's been accommodating to almost everyone, and spent Sunday morning in Detroit talking with three young boys on the field a couple of hours before game time after being informed in the clubhouse that one of the boys wanted to meet him. His teammates have said he's a natural with their kids, playing the role of Uncle Pete.
Crow-Armstrong doesn't believe he's being pulled in too many directions by the media or fans. He's always been outgoing, growing up in Southern California, so this is nothing new to him.
'I definitely talk to the media more often now, but nothing too different,' he said. 'I have some people that recognize me here and there if we go out to dinner or whatnot, but I enjoy that. Everybody has been super cool whenever there are public interactions.'
Last, but not least, come the off-the-field opportunities to cash in with endorsements or commercials or podcasts or some other ventures. Crow-Armstrong said he hasn't been asked to do anything like that, and he isn't seeking attention by doing commercials.
'Actually I'm somewhat happy with that,' he said. 'Don't need it. No interest. If stuff comes up and I'm advised to go for it, then I'll probably go for it. As of right now, I have no interest and I'm glad that it's still all about baseball.'
The residual effects of stardom will come eventually.
For now, just enjoy the popcorn.