Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong Draws Barry Bonds Comparison
Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong Draws Barry Bonds Comparison originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Chicago Cubs breakout star, Pete Crow-Armstrong, has displayed all the talents of an MVP-caliber five-tool player. In his second full year on the Major League, PCA is hitting .271/.305/.545 with 17 home runs and 21 steals. His combination of speed, power, and superb defense may even be reminiscent of another superstar in his days as a Pittsburgh Pirate.
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When discussing the potential All-Star rosters, ESPN's David Schoenfield rated PCA's season higher than that of Corbin Carrol, James Wood, Fernando Tatis Jr., and teammate Kyle Tucker. But his praise of PCA didn't stop short of comparing his numbers to those of Barry Bonds.
'The first [All-Star] outfield selection is easy: Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is making a strong case for NL MVP thanks to his spectacular defense, baserunning and surprising power at the plate (he leads the NL in Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs WAR) and could have an incredible 10-WAR season,' Schoenfield wrote. 'The last NL player to do that: Barry Bonds in 2004. I don't know whether Crow-Armstrong can keep hitting this well, considering his chase rate (third worst in the majors), but pitchers haven't exploited that aggressiveness yet.'
Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (8), outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) and outfielder Seiya Suzuki (27) celebrate win against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
In the 2004 season Schoenfield referred to, Bonds hit 45 home runs to the tune of a .362 batting average and drew an all-time high 232 walks, leading to an unheard of .609 on-base percentage. This was long after Bonds' Gold Glove base-stealing days, but his 10.6 WAR (stat from Baseball Reference) that season has remained an untouchable mark in the NL. The only current players to eclipse that mark since then are Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels), and Mookie Betts (Boston Red Sox).
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PCA doesn't draw many walks, which hinders his ability to reach a WAR value of 10 by offense alone, but his glove could be the key to reaching such a milestone. To make a more comparable analysis, we will use Mookie Betts in 2018. That year, Betts hit .342/.438/.640 with 32 home runs and 30 steals. His defense in the outfield won him a Gold Glove, culminating in a WAR value of 10.7, slightly higher than Bonds' in 2004. Currently, PCA has accumulated a WAR of 3.8, third in MLB behind Aaron Judge and Jeremy Pena.
Related: Cubs Trade Idea Grabs Recent Cy Young Winner From Braves Amid Pitching Injuries
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
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