Is Cubs Star Pete Crow-Armstrong Already Best Center Fielder in MLB?

The Chicago Cubs just might have the best center fielder in baseball.

May 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA;Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) celebrates the Cubs win against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field / David Banks-Imagn Images

Coming into the season, everyone knew what type of talent Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong possessed, but perhaps nobody this level of performance coming.

Tabbed as a rising star, the 23-year-old is now entering into superstardom.

He leads all center fielders in Major League Baseball with 12 homers, tied with Trent Grisham. His .282 batting average is fourth, his .319 on-base percentage is eighth and his .563 slugging percentage is first.

He's also tied for the lead in all of the Majors with a plus-9 Outs Above Average while having the third-most steals out of all center fielders.

Simply put, Crow-Armstrong is a star and he's only just ascending.

It's only two years removed from him getting his first taste in The Show as a defense substitute and pinch-runner, getting more regular playing time last season where his defense was elite but he still had work to do with the bat in his hand.

The Cubs knew the type of talent they had, and they tried to lock him into a team-friendly extension before the campaign got underway that was promptly turned down.

At this trajectory, it's easy to predict Crow-Armstrong will be one of the best center fielders in Major League Baseball at some point in his career, but it's also not farfetched to say that he's already the best right now when considering what he can do in all phases of the game.

Not only is he the best defensive outfielder in the sport, but his ability to steal bases and hit for power is the five-tool skill set that every team covets from their players.

Will Crow-Armstrong keep up this torrid pace for the entire season?

That's the question everyone is wondering since the dog days of summer have historically led to slumps for young players that can create some reduced production in the second half of the year.

The sample size is small on Crow-Armstrong, so it's hard to say one way or the other what is going to happen for the star in 2025.

But if he keeps up this type of showing throughout the rest of the season, then not only is he going to become a household name, he'll turn into one of the faces of the sport.

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