Pete Crow-Armstrong Shines for Team USA in WBC Tournament

The World Baseball Classic was an incredible showcase of the sport, and as the tournament has now come to a close, it is interesting to see which players have performed the best for their home country.

With the massive hitting power Team USA had, it might be surprising which players were the best at the plate throughout the tournament. Team USA battled its way into the finals, and with players like Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Kyle Schwarber, and Bobby Witt Jr., all at the top of their batting order, that wasn't much of a surprise.

However, it was the bottom of the order that led the charge time and time again, with one of those being Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The Cubs' center fielder always shows off on the defensive side, but it is a breath of fresh air to see him lead Team USA on this stage after his second-half struggles last year, where he batted .216. Instead, he hit .263 while slugging a .706 with an OPS of .965, which was second-best on their star-studded roster.

Crow-Armstrong played in six of their seven games and trailed only Roman Anthony in runners brought home, who had stepped up to the plate in all of Team USA's games. On top of that, PCA has a pair of long balls that sit tied for the most on the team alongside Anthony, Hunnar Henderson and Aaron Judge.

Pete Crow-Armstrong tonight:

105.1 mph flyout
Strikeout
101.6 mph HR
101.6 mph HR

pic.twitter.com/YGEFSDG9zk
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) March 11, 2026

PCA didn't get the start in the finals due to the pitching matchup, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a huge factor in getting them there. By the time the final pitch was thrown, it was Team Venezuela that walked home with the win, but Chicago is ecstatic with their player nonetheless.

First half in 2025

The soon-to-be 24-year-old is looking like the pre-All-Star break player seen in 2025, who was having an MVP-like season until things fell apart. He finished the year with 30+ homers, 30+ stolen bases, and nearly 100 runners brought in. But most of that production came before the All-Star break in the middle of the Summer.

Pete Crow-Armstrong looks onto the field | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The first 95 games he played in 2025 were before July, when he started to drop off. 71 of his RBI were before that cutoff, as well as 26 of his home runs and 27 of his stolen bases. Everyone knows what he is capable of, and now it is time for him to make it happen through a full season.

Opening Day is rapidly approaching, and the Cubs have assembled an impressive roster. If PCA can keep building his confidence back up, he will be eyeing his first Silver Slugger as well as another Gold Glove.