Chicago Cubs Elite Defensive Outfielder Projected to Shine This Season

The Chicago Cubs head into next season with renewed optimism after an aggressive strategy this offseason has seen them upgrade their lineup and outfield.

Trading for Houston Astros superstar Kyle Tucker before shipping Cody Bellinger out of town to the New York Yankees to shed salary, along with some minor pitching upgrades, inspire confidence that they could get over the hump in year two of the Craig Counsell era. Chicago is coming off back-to-back 83-79 records and has missed missed postseasons in the last six years.

In addition to Tucker, there is going to be a serious youth movement among the Cubs this year with numerous rookie and second-year players expected to play massive roles in 2025.

One of those is a player who started to burst onto the scene in 2024, especially on the defensive side, in outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Named by David Adler of MLB.com as a player with high potential to burst onto the scene as a star next season, Crow-Armstrong could be due for a big year.

Adler writes that Crow-Armstrong has already shows himself to be a valuable outfielder when it comes to his speed and his glove. In fact, in won a minor league Gold Glove as a prospect and had long been considered one of the best defensive prospects at any position. That glove is what made Bellinger, to some degree, expendable. What the Cubs are waiting on is for him to hit at a powerful enough level in the Majors to warrant every day play.

"Crow-Armstrong did have 10 homers and 27 steals in 2024, but he only posted an 88 OPS+, well below league average," Adler wrote. "But he was a top prospect who graded out as a plus all-fields hitter, so if he lives up to his scouting reports, Chicago will have a [Jarren] Duran-type player this season."

Comparing him to Boston Red Sox star Jarren Duran is quite the statement. Duran, who had middled through the first couple of seasons of his career as a solid player but nothing more, suddenly broke out last season with an 8.7 WAR and top-five MVP finish.

Crow-Armstrong did not hit horribly by any means during first full season in 2024, as he slashed .237/.286/.384/.670 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI. His speed adds value, as he stole 27 bases and scored 46 runs.

He obviously brings elite defense, but if he can take the next step as a hitter and live up to the kind of prospect he was billed as at the plate, the first-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft has all the makings of a five-tool player who can become one of the better outfielders in baseball.

If he can take the next step in 2025 along with other upgrades Chicago has made, it will be the beginning of some serious momentum back toward being a contender.