CHICAGO — It doesn’t take a marketing genius to draw 38,872 fans to Wrigley Field on the Fourth of July. Cold beer, hot dogs and the St. Louis Cardinals are all part of the formula. But to keep the machine running year-round, and ultimately compete for a World Series trophy, a multibillion-dollar franchise needs a superstar.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is that magnetic presence for the Chicago Cubs, the leadoff hitter gifted with speed and power, the Gold Glove center fielder in the highlight reels, the showman who plays with a smile and a scowl, depending on his mood.
Crow-Armstrong, 24, was the club’s only representative when Major League Baseball’s 2026 All-Star Game rosters were announced before the fog rolled into Saturday night’s 3-0 loss to the Cardinals. While last year’s selection highlighted a young player bursting onto the scene, this felt like a fait accompli.
FanGraphs and Baseball Reference rate Crow-Armstrong as the sport’s most valuable player in terms of WAR (5-plus). He’s compiled 19 home runs, 49 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. He’s evolved into a disciplined hitter, drawing more walks and getting on base 38 percent of the time, all without sacrificing his natural aggressiveness.
The defensive metrics are off the charts, with Statcast placing Crow-Armstrong in the 100th percentile for fielding range and fielding run value. It’s all done in a style that captivates the Wrigleyville crowds and antagonizes certain fans.
“What’s fun to watch is there’s something in every part of the game that he’s able to do,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s also not some huge person that does it. He’s a pretty normal-sized person that can do it. I think that also creates a connection with fans. And he is an entertainer. He loves that part of it. He’s good at it. He’s naturally wired to do it, so you get a lot of it.”
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Performing at an MVP level, Crow-Armstrong has helped keep the Cubs (49-40) in a playoff position during an up-and-down season littered with pitching injuries. That’s why a collective gasp and a brief silence filled the ballpark Saturday night when Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy hit Crow-Armstrong’s right foot with a pitch in the fifth inning. For a club that often projects a calm, serious demeanor, Crow-Armstrong is the wild card.
After the club’s 10-game losing streak in May, Crow-Armstrong responded with a spectacular June, becoming only the third player in major-league history to have a calendar month with at least a .375 average, a .775 slugging percentage, 80 total bases, 15 walks, 10 home runs and five steals. The two other players, according to OptaSTATS, were Babe Ruth (June and July 1920, May 1930) and Lou Gehrig (June 1930).
It’s no wonder the chants frequently ring out at the Friendly Confines: “P-C-A! P-C-A!” Chicago’s lineup has one player you don’t want to miss while going to the bathroom or the concession stand.
This is another area where Crow-Armstrong believes he has grown as a hitter, reflecting on a conversation with Cubs assistant hitting coach John Mallee earlier this season. It’s all about narrowing the focus and controlling the emotions.
“In those moments, every bit of good energy is behind you,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Earlier (in my career), I think that made me a little nervous. I felt like I had to instead of I get to go hit in this really cool moment with a crowd of 40,000 pulling for me. I think I’m just learning how to use that to my advantage, instead of making me shake in my boots up there and wanting to get the job done so badly.”
Mallee, the lead hitting coach for the 2016 World Series team, sounded a lot like former manager Joe Maddon while explaining his message to Crow-Armstrong, who has a good reputation for being coachable behind the scenes.
“In those moments, he gets all fired up,” Mallee said. “I said to him, simply, that the energy and the vibration and the frequency in the stadium is like putting this huge battery in your body. All the stress is (on the pitcher). You’ve got (your talent) and 40,000 people with their energy and confidence and support on your side.
“That should make you say, ‘OK, slow down, enjoy the moment.’ Because (the pitcher’s) the one in trouble here. He’s the one that’s got to do it because they’re screaming for you. (The idea was) to change his mindset to embrace that and say, ‘All right, here we go, I got all the energy in the world.’”
Crow-Armstrong did not win the popularity contest on the All-Star fan ballot, but his all-around performance ensured that this invitation would not be viewed as a token gesture, given the requirement that all 30 clubs are represented at the showcase event.
Crow-Armstrong’s recent history might have worked against him in the fan voting, considering some interactions with fans of: the Cardinals (responded to “Overrated” chants by hitting a home run and mimicking the “Tarps Off” celebrations); the Los Angeles Dodgers (called their fans front-runners in a Chicago magazine story); the Chicago White Sox (engaged in a vulgar exchange with a female spectator); and the New York Mets (a reminder that he was traded for Javier Báez at the 2021 deadline).
Cubs fans, though, see the new face of a franchise founded in 1876 and housed in a National Historic Landmark. By agreeing to a six-year, $115 million contract extension before Opening Day, Crow-Armstrong gained the long-term security and peace of mind to keep doing it his way.
“I’m confident in my ability to keep this up,” he said, “and that’s really where I want to be.”