Pete Crow-Armstrong on cusp of NL first since Barry Bonds

San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds was easily the best player in baseball between 2001 and 2004. Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong may match Bonds' value this season.

Bonds was the last National League player to reach at least 10 fWAR, doing so in 2004. He is also the only player to reach that plateau in the 2000s, with former Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa coming closest with 9.9 fWAR in 2001. Crow-Armstrong, meanwhile, entered Saturday with 9.5 fWAR, tied with Cardinals future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols (2003) for the eighth-best mark this century.

The likely 2026 NL MVP, Crow-Armstrong is winding down what has been a stellar season. He had posted a .280/.375/.570 batting line in his 636 plate appearances, hitting 39 homers and 28 doubles while stealing 33 bases. Crow-Armstrong leads the majors with 105 runs scored and 312 total bases, and leads the NL with his .570 slugging percentage and .945 OPS.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has taken significant step to being best player in baseball

His contributions go beyond what he does in the batter's box. Crow-Armstrong has been one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball since making his major league debut, making extraordinary plays seem routine. His 15 runs saved in center rank second in the majors, trailing only Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages.

Crow-Armstrong has emerged as a potential superstar for the Chicago Cubs with his performance this season. He could cement that status by posting the type of season that had not been seen since Bonds was terrorizing pitchers and sending home runs into McCovey Cove.