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May 4, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II (11) makes the catch in centerfield on a ball hit by New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, not pictured, in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

Cardinals-Cubs Heated Rivalry Has Newly Discovered Fuel Added To Fire

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Nate Hagerty | Last updated May 6, 2025 3:23 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals and National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs have one of the most heated rivalries in sports and an exciting new development is adding fuel to the fire.

Unlike the two previous seasons during which the Milwaukee Brewers won the NL Central by at least nine games, the Cubs sit atop the division this year with a four-game lead over the second-place Cincinnati Reds and Brewers, while St. Louis trails Chicago by five games.

To add to the competitiveness between the Cubs and Cardinals in their division this season, both bitter foes have excitingly similar rising stars who are helping St. Louis and Chicago fans reignite their rivalry.

"There's another layer to things when two natural rivals have promising young players manning the same position and, in this instance, enjoying breakout campaigns at the same time," CBS Sports' Dayn Perry wrote Monday afternoon. "We speak of the emerging Interstate-55 rivalry in center field between Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs and Victor Scott II of the Cardinals. This seems a timely matter because Crow-Armstrong right now ranks third in the National League in WAR (wins above replacement) with a mark of 2.0, meaning he's been one of the best overall players in baseball thus far. Scott, meantime, is 10th on that same list with a WAR of 1.4, and during Sunday's doubleheader sweep of the New York Mets, he went a combined 3 for 6 with a pair of walks and this miracle robbery that wound up mattering quite a bit insofar as the final score is concerned."

VICTOR SCOTT II WITH ONE OF THE BEST CATCHES EVER! pic.twitter.com/jgX1R96qgy
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 4, 2025

Scott, a 24-year-old center fielder playing in his second big-league campaign, is quietly becoming one of the league's most entertaining young outfielders behind 23-year-old Crow-Armstrong, who's succeeding in his third year since debuting with the Cubs in Sept. 2023.

"Opinions will vary, but it says here that slick-fielding speedsters who man center and employ some daring on the bases are perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing sub-genre of ballplayers," Perry continued. "On top of providing quality baseball entertainment, PCA and VS2 are also very good players. Consider it a tidy bonus that they play for time-honored arch rivals who share a division and swaths of the same territory. By any objective measure, PCA has the edge right now, but this debate figures to be a years-long one and perhaps an ever-changing one. But keep it Midwest Nice, people."

PCA is batting .271 with 38 hits including 10 doubles, one triple and nine home runs, 26 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a .856 OPS in 36 games played for the Cubs this season, while VS2 is hitting .284 with 31 hits including six doubles, one triple and two home runs, 15 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and a .765 OPS in 32 games played for the Cardinals in 2025.

Although PCA has performed slightly better than VS2 this year, Scott has played 87 fewer big-league games than Crow-Armstrong. Still, both speedy CFs are quickly gaining favor among fans and their further developments as star players should be thrilling to watch.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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