MLB Insider Predicts Shift in Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 2026 Stats

Cubs’ center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has appeared in just five of 12 Spring Training games so far this year, recording two hits, two strikeouts and a walk.

As we look toward Opening Day later this month, there’s a lot of room for improvement, especially considering his current slash of .154/.214/.154. It’s not that he’s playing badly, there’s just not a ton of data to look at yet. It is Spring Training after all.

Regardless, Crow-Armstrong is still one of the best outfielders in the league. He could even be considered one of the best baseball players overall, which is exactly how some reporters view the 23-year-old.

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) makes a catch in the first inning against the Guardians at Sloan Park. — Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

MLB analysts at ESPN released rankings of the Top 100 Players in Baseball on Wednesday, and Cubs fans should be pleased with the results.

Crow-Armstrong came in hot as the best-ranked Cub on the list at No. 22.

Joining Crow-Armstrong in the Top 100 are second baseman Nico Hoerner (No. 55), third baseman Alex Bregman (No. 61), shortstop Dansby Swanson (No. 82), first baseman Michael Busch (No. 86) and pitcher Seiya Suzuki (No. 92).

Predicting Crow-Armstrong's 2026 season

Jesse Rogers took it a step further, predicting exactly what he thinks fans will see from Crow-Armstrong this season.

“The baseball world is wondering who the real PCA is,” Rogers wrote. “The easy answer is he's somewhere between who he was in the first half of last season and the second half. Vowing to get on more this season, he will steal 50 bases and hit 20 home runs.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong | David Banks-Imagn Images

Last season, the 23-year-old recorded 31 home runs and 35 stolen bases. Rogers expects the center fielder’s base running to improve by 15 stolen bags, but anticipates his home runs will decrease.

The center fielder had a strong start, recording a .847 OPS, 27 stolen bases and snagging an All-Star selection over the first half of the season. However, his performance struggled in the second half.

“Crow-Armstrong was arguably the best bad-ball hitter in the first half last season, seemingly slugging anything from his shins to his shoulders,” Rogers wrote. “But bad-ball swinging can catch up to a young player, and it finally did in the second half."

PCA on improving his swing

Though he struggled during the latter half of the 2025 season, Crow-Armstrong doesn’t let a less-than-stellar performance rent too much headspace.

This year, the young athlete is making it a point to absorb as much information as he can from the knowledgeable veteran players around him, like new teammate Alex Bregman.

“I can already kind of see it’s going to be really easy to apply my conviction and competitiveness into a real thought-out approach,” Crow-Armstrong said last month in Mesa. “The guy has had .400 OBP years. He is probably someone you should listen to in terms of that.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) reacts after striking out against the Milwaukee Brewers in game three of the 2025 NLDS. — Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Crow-Armstrong has a lot of games left in Arizona to work on his offense before the pressure of the regular season really sets in. Luckily, Bregman’s brain will be available to him throughout the season.

“We've just had a lot of cool conversations about approach and how we want to see me attack and get that OBP back up, that swing rate/chase rate down,” Crow-Armstrong said in Mesa this week. “I'm confident that [Bregman] is somebody that will really help me with that.”