Pete Crow-Armstrong joins legendary slugger Sammy Sosa in Cubs history books

Pete Crow-Armstrong capped off a breakout campaign by carving a place in the Chicago Cubs record books.

The Cubs center fielder belted a two-run homer in the fourth inning of a 12-1 victory over the Cardinals. That home run was Crow-Armstrong's 30th of the season, making him the second player in Cubs' history to have a 30-30 season (30 homers 30 stolen bases). Sammy Sosa, who had 30-30 seasons in 1993 and 1995, is the only other Cubs player in that club.

A consensus top-100 prospect ahead of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Crow-Armstrong was lauded for his ability to make hard contact, plus speed and stellar defense. MLB.com gave Crow-Armstrong a rare 80 grade (on the 20 to 80 grade scale) for his outfield defense as he maximized his impressive speed and ability to judge the ball off the bat.

Pete Crow-Armstrong may only be scratching the surface of his potential

While Crow-Armstrong tantalized by showing flashes of his potential in 2024, he struggled with the bat. He posted a disappointing .237/.284/.384 batting line in 410 plate appearances, hitting 10 homers and 13 doubles while stealing 27 bases. Crow-Armstrong's glove kept him in the lineup, but there were questions as to whether or not he would hit enough to live up to his potential.

He began to answer those questions in 2025. Despite cooling off after a torrid start to the season, Crow-Armstrong has put together a solid showing. He posted a .245/.285/.476 batting line in 640 plate appearances after Friday's victory, hitting 30 homers and 37 doubles while stealing 35 bases.

Crow-Armstrong may be just scratching the surface of his potential. He has improved his average exit velocity by 3.2 mph and his hard-hit rate by 4.5%. However, questions remain about his ability to consistently make contact. His walk rate decreased by 0.5% and is in the second percentile. Meanwhile, his strikeout rate has increased, fueled by his second percentile chase rate.

At 23 years old, Crow-Armstrong has plenty of time to make needed adjustments to take the next step in his evolution. If he can improve his plate discipline and contact rates, Crow-Armstrong may only be beginning to carve his place in the Cubs' record books.