Chicago Cubs: PCA’s newfound discipline has been a game-changer

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was hot enough in June to earn himself the NL Player of the Month award. So far in July, he’s doing even better.

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Through July 5, the 24-year-old is hitting .500 and posting a crazy .625 on base percentage, with one home run and 3 RBIs.

In June, he slashed .381/.468/.781 with 11 home runs, 20 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.249. During one stretch, he had a 14-game hitting streak.

An under-the-radar noteworthy feat this season for PCA, though, is his incredible turnaround when it comes to patience, discipline, and taking walks.

PCA has grown up quickly

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Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation recently noted this development—and how, also, the young star is way ahead of the curve in plate development:

“PCA’s walk rate is now up to 10.5% on the season. League-average is 9.0%. In what universe would it have been realistic to predict, say, last year that PCA would be an above-league-average walker at some point in his future? MAYBE when he was 30 years old and was forced to improve his discipline as athleticism declines? Even then, you often see guys with high swing tendencies and great bat speed go in the other direction (more early swings) as they lose some of their ability to go with their A-swing deep in the count and not have their whiff rate spike. So for PCA to have developed more selectivity this young – this quickly! – is (1) almost unimaginable, and (2) outrageously important for his long-term productivity.”

Crow-Armstrong, who was recently named to his second All-Star team, has quickly learned the value of taking pitches in order to force pitchers to throw him the right ones to drive.

MLB insider and Cubs beat writer Bruce Levine confirmed this mindset via comment relayed to him by Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman:

Alex Bregman told me after the game “Pete is now looking for that one pitch to drive. The swing and miss decreases, the walk increases. He is looking for one good pitch and now he destroys it.”

A true multi-tool weapon

A fully actualized PCA is a very dangerous multi-tool weapon to have. Adding a touch of patience and nuance to his tool set of elite defense, foot speed, and raw hitting ability makes him a true force. It’s everything the Cubs had hoped for when they traded away Javier Baez and Trevor Williams to acquire the then-teenage sensation from the New York Mets in 2021.

Former Met and current Cub David Peterson, for what it’s worth, questioned the trade from the moment he heard about it, based on what he saw from just one spring training with the Mets.

“I saw enough right away that I knew he was going to be a special kid,’’ Peterson said.

“He’s just a natural, so, yeah, it’s fun to watch. I always thought he was one of the best guys in our system. I didn’t think it was a great trade at the time, and we’re seeing it now. The kid’s got five tools. So much fun to watch every day.’’

If Crow-Armstrong keeps playing like he has been lately, that fun is going to last for quite awhile.

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