Pete Crow-Armstrong’s June is indicative of real growth for the Cubs’ young star

Pete Crow-Armstrong has had hot stretches before. At this point last season, the dynamic center fielder was putting up the type of offensive performance that had some wondering whether he could win MVP.

But after being named National League Player of the Month for June, everyone seems to agree that this is different. The player Crow-Armstrong is turning into is a level above the one everyone saw last year.

“We saw him last year kind of go on a home-run, stolen-base barrage,” team president Jed Hoyer said. “That part of it doesn’t make me think differently. I think what makes me think differently is the walks and the approach at the plate.”

Manager Craig Counsell echoed those sentiments.

“He has not had this month where he walked this much,” Counsell said. “That’s the new thing. That added piece, although the home run is still better, it’s something that’s really valuable. He’s proving something to himself that he can do both. That’s a great player that can do both.”

Along with putting up a wild 235 wRC+ with 11 homers, five doubles and two triples, Crow-Armstrong posted an impressive 13.7% walk rate in June. It’s an aspect of his game that’s steadily grown as the year has gone on.

Last season, Crow-Armstrong never had a walk rate above 5.1% in any month. His previous career high was 8.2% in August 2024. But that was an outlier. This season, he’s gone from 7% to 10.7% to June’s breakout 13.7%. It’s led to an overall walk rate of 10.2%.

In the spring, Crow-Armstrong talked about perhaps not swinging as much and raising his walk rate. It seemed like a potentially dangerous plan. A player known for his aggressive approach who had months of tremendous success, making a significant change? That can lead to disaster.

Crow-Armstrong explained why he wasn’t concerned that would happen.

“The way I framed it and the way it was presented to me really gave me some confidence,” he said. “I’m not going up there and looking to not swing. That’s not how you walk, really. But it’s looking for one thing and sticking to that.”

For Crow-Armstrong, there was a revelation after an at-bat against Raisel Iglesias on May 13 in Atlanta. With two outs in the ninth, Iglesias, who mostly throws fastballs and change-ups to lefties, hung a slider. It was a perfect pitch to take a hack at and send a long distance.

“I barreled the crap out of it, just straight up in the air,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I came back and was like, ‘How did I miss that?’ and (Alex Bregman’s) like, ‘Well, you weren’t looking for it.'”

Crow-Armstrong said the way Bregman presented that to him kind of made it all click. It may have been a message he’d heard before, but perhaps a little differently. Something about what Bregman said in that moment resonated more with Crow-Armstrong.

“It was something that I felt like I could take into the game with me,” Crow-Armstrong said. “It wasn’t, ‘I gotta swing less to walk. I gotta try harder to swing at this pitch and this other pitch.’ No, if you’re so dialed in on one pitch, then the sh — that looks different, you don’t have to swing whether it’s a strike or not. It’s being comfortable and confident enough being down in the count.”

Crow-Armstrong’s point is that he should have taken that pitch, the first of that at-bat, from Iglesias. In his head he’s looking for a fastball or a changeup. It doesn’t matter that he got a meatball.

“You may have gotten a good swing off, but you may have been this late or this far under it because you weren’t looking for it,” Crow-Armstrong said. “You can’t get pissed at yourself if you weren’t looking for the slider.”

Crow-Armstrong said it is about being comfortable being down in the count. His numbers don’t dip significantly this year if he does fall behind. When he gets to two strikes, obviously the mindset changes. But compared with before, he’s much more selective than he was in the past. Crow-Armstrong said when he’s really locked in, as he is now, he can take a few more chances and they pay off. But this change gives him something he can fall back on when he may not feel as in sync.

Crow-Armstrong’s swing rate has dropped 9.1 percentage points, from 60.1 last season to 51% this year. That’s the biggest drop in baseball. His chase rate has dropped over five points, but his in-zone swinging is down nearly 12 points. Ideally, hitters are not chasing and are aggressive in the zone. But that works only if you can do damage on the strikes you’re swinging at.

“Jed made a good point,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He said, ‘Look, the homers are great and an awesome bonus, but you’re most dangerous when you’re on first base.’ Taking that to heart and making that another thing about my identity as a baseball player.”

Counsell pointed out that, actually, the homers are more dangerous. And you can’t lose that. What Crow-Armstrong believes Hoyer’s point is is that outside of those 30-35 home runs, there are another 600-plus plate appearances. With Crow-Armstrong’s speed, being able to take walks with regularity is incredibly valuable.

It’s a fine line to walk. Hoyer agreed there was a risk that changing what Crow-Armstrong does in this way could potentially sap the power. But the young player has done what few can, and increased the walk rate while avoiding taking away from other parts of his game that make him special. Crow-Armstrong entered play Friday with a .374 on-base percentage, 21st in baseball. He’s paired that with a .239 ISO, 19th in baseball. Those who can do both are the most special offensive talents in the game.

“The execution of it is where the beauty is,” Counsell said. “That’s where you want to be — you want to be, ‘Yes, yes, yes, no,’ all the time. Especially with someone with power, they want to be in that mode. But the ‘no’ part is the hard part.”

Crow-Armstrong is already a star. The Cubs knew what his potential was entering the season because he showed them last summer just how high the highs can be. This is a player with elite power, speed and defense. That’s largely why the Cubs felt good about giving him a seven-year, $115 million extension before the season. But now, he’s suddenly added patience.

Can he be even better than anyone expected?

“If that can continue,” Hoyer said, “I think it does raise what he can be as a player.”

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