Cubs Rising Star Predicted to Lead Majors in Key Offensive Category

Will a rising star for the Chicago Cubs lead the league in a key offensive category that plays into his skill set?

Mar 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) gets ready for a game against theb Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

After a poor start to the season in Japan, the Chicago Cubs are getting back on track to begin the year. 

The Cubs might not have started off the year the way that they envisioned against the defending World Series champions, but that hasn’t discouraged this team since. 

Chicago has a very talented group with a lot of good players both on their pitching staff and in their batting order. 

While expectations might be to compete and win this year, the Cubs feature a lot of talented young players who are still improving. 

Last year, Chicago might have missed the postseason, but this was a team that won 83 games. The addition of some talented veterans on the trade market has changed the outlook for the team, but the young talent in the organization can not be forgotten. 

In 2024, despite some growing pains, the Cubs saw the emergence of a prospect who could be their starting center fielder for a long time. 

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about one bold prediction for each team in the MLB. For the Cubs, it was that talented outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong would lead the league in steals. 

“Crow-Armstrong had 27 steals in 30 attempts during his rookie campaign, but a late uptick in his offensive production and a sprint speed that ranks in the 99th percentile provides reason to believe he could double that total in 2025," Reuter wrote.

Even though it ended up being a strong rookie campaign for Crow-Armstrong, there were a lot of ups and downs. 

A lot of credit has to go to Chicago for letting the young outfielder work through some of his issues at the plate in the Majors. Most teams likely would have sent a player who struggled as much as Crow-Armstrong down to the minors, but the move to be patient ended up paying off. 

In 2024, he slashed .237/.286/.384 with 10 home runs, 47 RBI, and 27 stolen bases.

In terms of improvements, getting on base more will be key to his success moving forward. This will certainly be a goal of the 23-year-old, who was much better in the last two months of the year.

Having an on-base percentage below .300 isn't good, especially considering how talented he is when on the base paths, but two months of ineffectiveness at the plate hurt the overall numbers. 

Stealing 27 of 30 bases as a rookie is a very impressive and efficient number. However, a significant jump will be needed to lead the league in steals. 

Last year, Elly De La Cruz, Shohei Ohtani, and Brice Turang all totaled at least 50 stolen bases. 

In order for Crow-Armstrong to get into that category, he will need to get on base at a much higher clip. As shown in 2024, he could be one of the most efficient runners in the game and leading the league in steals isn't to far-fetched.