Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong illustrates MVP case in Independence Day win

Per the Apple TV broadcast, it was his ninth five-star catch, defined as a putout with a less than 25 percent catch probability, this season. No one else in the majors has more than three. 

When asked between innings which portion of his MVP contender's game he values the most, Cubs manager Craig Counsell admitted, "The defense is still my favorite part."

Crow-Armstrong ranks in the top one percent in MLB in fielding run value (h/t Baseball Savant), which has bolstered his MVP case through the halfway point of the 2025 season. It's also a key reason why he ranks first in NL in position-player wins above replacement (WAR) at 4.6. 

In the bottom of the first, the recently named 2025 NL All-Star Game starter hit a solo home run off a 77 mph curveball from Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas, drilling the ball 397 feet to right-centerfield.

Two innings later, Crow-Armstrong blasted a second solo home run 414 feet, giving the Cubs a 5-0 lead.

Crow-Armstrong's defense and base running — he entered Friday with 55 stolen bases in 64 career attempts (86 percent) — are his calling cards, but his improvement at the plate has been a revelation.

The 2020 first-round pick made his MLB debut in 2023 and exceeded rookie limits in 2024. In his first 136 games, Crow-Armstrong slashed .228/.282/.370 with 10 home runs and 48 runs batted in (RBI) in 386 at-bats.

Through 87 games in 2025, Crow-Armstrong has a .274/.309/.559 slash line, hitting 23 home runs while driving in 66 runs in 340 at-bats. 

He's a legitimate triple-threat and at 23, only scratching the surface of his potential. Per Baseball Reference, he's on pace to become the second-youngest player in MLB history and seventh all-time to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season, trailing Alex Rodriguez (1998).

There's a lot to like about Crow-Armstrong's game, and he showcased every facet of it on Friday's national holiday.