Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Major Leap

Pete Crow-Armstrong, also known as PCA, has become something special this year. Not only is he probably the best center fielder in the league, but he is one of the best overall players in the league. PCA is currently fourth in all of MLB with an fWAR of 4.1. This stat estimates the number of wins a player contributes to their team above what a replacement-level player would provide. Clearly, Crow-Armstrong is a valuable player to have on a team. Now what caused his jump from his rookie year to this year?

PCA’s Upgraded Bat

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s hitting this year compared to last is a monumental difference. This is what has turned him into the amazing player that he has been this year. Looking at his baseball savant page, it is easy to tell how much he has improved this year. Even though PCA only played in 123 games last year, his batting run value was -6 putting him in the 25th percentile. This year, through 80 games it is already 16 which is in the 91st percentile. That is a whopping improvement. His average is 35 points higher than last year and his OPS is 193 points higher. Last year, in 372 at-bats, Crow-Armstrong only hit ten home runs. Through only 313 at-bats this year, he has hit twenty-one! He has doubled his home run total from last year in fewer at-bats. It has been known that he holds a lot of raw power, but we are finally seeing it this year. Why are we seeing such an improvement?

PCA’s advanced hitting stats are why he has made such a giant leap. His batting section of his baseball savant page is a night and day difference from 2024 to 2025. This year, he is hitting the ball a lot harder with more barrels. Pete’s xSLG is .532 this year compared to .367 last year. His barrel% has almost doubled going from 7.4% to 13.8%. This makes a huge difference in getting the barrel to the ball usually means a good result. Additionally, he is hitting the sweet spot 37.1% of the time this season. This is in the 72nd percentile which clears last year at 33.3% and the 38th percentile. Even though he still has a very high chase rate, he excels at hitting the ball out of the zone. Finally, his xwOBA went from .281 to .354 this year. This stat essentially aims to remove luck from results to try to evaluate a hitter’s true abilities. Overall, it is very easy to see how PCA has made such a huge jump at the plate this year.

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Few Consistencies

While PCA exploded onto the scene with his bat this year, two things remained the same from last year. Both his baserunning and fielding run value have been in the 98th or 99th percentile in 2024 and 2025. In the field, Crow-Armstrong recorded 14 outs above average in 2024. This year he already has 11 putting him first among National League center fielders. He has also always had top-tier arm value as well as arm strength.

PCA on the basepaths has always been very dangerous as well. He recorded 27 stolen bases last year and already has 24 this year. He recorded a higher sprint speed last year of 30.0 ft/sec than this year of 29.5 ft/sec. But he still has another half of the year to reach that or even beat it. Regardless, both speeds are in the top 3% of all players.

With Pete Crow-Armstrong finally finding his way with the bat, he has become one of the most dangerous players in the league. With his Gold Glove in CF, his killer speed on the bases, and his All-Star level hitting, he is one of the best players in the league. If he keeps it up, he could possibly be on track to win a league MVP.