Pete Crow-Armstrong found his power and became an MVP candidate, but his focus is on a Cubs World Series title

Crow-Armstrong is currently on pace to be the first Cubs player ever to go 40-40

ATLANTA -- Given his youth and the fact that he entered the season a career .228/.282/.370 hitter with 10 home runs in 136 career games, it's remarkable that this statement can be uttered in 2025, and yet: 

The Chicago Cubs have never had a power-speed threat like Pete Crow-Armstrong. Ever. 

The Cubs came into existence as the Chicago White Stockings in 1876. They have rostered 45 Hall of Fame players and countless more who could both hit home runs and steal bases on a semi-regular basis. They've never had anyone like PCA.

With the second half set to resume Friday after the All-Star break, the 23-year-old All-Star sits at 25 home runs and 27 stolen bases, putting him on pace to finish the season with 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases. 

The list of Cubs to ever have a 40-40 season isn't long. There's no one on it. Sammy Sosa in 1993 and 1995 was a 30-30 guy. The only other Cubs player to even get to 25-25 is Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who had 40 homers and 25 steals in 1990 and 26 homers with 54 steals in 1985. PCA is already there with Sosa and Sandberg. If we lower the parameters to 20-20, we can add Cody Bellinger (2023), Javier Báez (2018), Corey Patterson (2004), two more Sosa seasons, another Ryno season, Leon Durham (1982) and Frank Schulte (1911). 

Again: The Cubs have never had a power-speed threat like this.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't know what my stats were," Crow-Armstrong told CBS Sports earlier this week during All-Star Game festivities. "Currently, I know what they are, but that's about it. I don't translate it into 'I wanna hit 40 homers or steal 30 bags' or whatever the mark is."

The stolen bases aren't a surprise. He's one of the fastest players in baseball. Asked about which players he likes most to watch, Twins power-speed star Byron Buxton named Crow-Armstrong Elly De La Cruz and PCA. "Those two guys stand out to me," he said. "Watching those guys helps me get better." 

Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker, who was traded to Chicago over the winter, has been egging on his new teammate.

"I told him at the beginning of the year, I think I had like one more stolen base than him at the time, I said 'I better not finish with more bases than you,' especially with how fast he is," said Tucker. "He's got more than me now, so I expect him to finish with more than me. He's been a lot of fun to watch and be part of the team with him every day." 

The power, though, is where the surprise has come this season. Crow-Armstrong hit 41 home runs in the minors, but that came in 240 games with only 11 in Triple-A (in 60 games). His current .544 slugging percentage is higher than he had at any minor-league level past A-ball. Last season, his first full year in the majors, he slugged just .384 with 10 home runs across 123 games.

The book on PCA heading into the season was he'd be an amazing player on the bases and in center field, but anything he gave with the bat would be gravy. Instead, he's turned into of baseball's best power hitters, sitting fourth in the National League in home runs and seventh in slugging. 

Changes in the batter's box appear to have paved the way for this powerful version of PCA. When he first debuted in the majors, he was standing pretty upright in the box. Here's a highlight of a Triple-A home run in 2023 to illustrate as much: 

And now here's his most recent home run: 

Notice how he's more open with the front leg and squatting a bit more than when he was standing upright. 

Not only that, but late last season, Crow-Armstrong started moving back in the batter's box, an entire foot farther back, according to Statcast.

"I'm definitely trying to give myself a chance to be able to see the baseball for as long as possible," Crow-Armstrong told MLB.com during spring training. "I don't really know if I've found my most comfy spot in the box yet, but I think there's definitely something to being able to see the ball for as long as you possibly can, giving yourself time."

The tweaks in the batter's box, plus the natural progression of getting more comfortable facing big-league pitching, have led to an explosion. The speed was already there. Now the power is too.

So great has Crow-Armstrong's turnaround been that he's a legitimate MVP candidate (+600 in the National League, per Caesars). In fact, he leads the NL in WAR, ahead of Juan Soto, James Wood, Fernando Tatís and, yes, even Shohei Ohtani.

The numbers take a back seat for PCA, though, he says. 

"If I'm playing well, it usually translates to a better chance for the Cubbies winning more ballgames," he told CBS Sports. "We've got a lot of guys who have a chance to hit these benchmarks, but we're a good club because we worry about winning every day." 

It's working. The Cubs come out of All-Star break in first place in the NL Central. They haven't been in first at the break since 2019 and this record represents their best at the break since 2016, the year they won the World Series for the first time since 1908. And though the numbers may not be on Crow-Armstrong's mind, the World Series definitely is. 

"Anything like [40-40] to be able to look back on is always nice and seeing the work that you put in to get there, but the goal is clearly to win the World Series," he said. "Any other accolade like 40-40 comes second to me."