Pete Crow-Armstrong Career Season Could Put Him In An Elite Crew In MLB History

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is on track to join an elite club. Crow-Armstrong could become the seventh member of Major League Baseball’s 40-40 club.

Crow-Armstrong needs two stolen bases over Chicago’s final six games to enter sports history.

Crow-Armstrong’s season has reached a point where the NL MVP race feels finished. After 153 games, he has 44 homers, 105 RBIs, 37 steals, and 9.6 bWAR. His .956 OPS has matched the impact he continues to make with his defense. 

Crow-Armstrong became the first Cubs left-handed hitter since Billy Williams to reach 40 homers. Then he hit his 43rd and 44th homers against Atlanta on Wednesday, breaking Williams’ franchise record. Wrigley Field responded with repeated “MVP” chants as another huge night unfolded. Even after striking out, Crow-Armstrong received a standing ovation from Chicago. 

The homer tied Williams’ mark before his next two blasts pushed him past it. Now he needs only two more steals to reach the rare 40-40 milestone. Only 6 players have previously completed a 40-40 season in MLB history. 

Nearing 24,000 MLB debuts in the Baseball-Reference database, only six players have posted a season with at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases:  Jose Canseco (1988); Barry Bonds (1996); Alex Rodriguez (1998); Alfonso Soriano (2006); Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023); and Shohei Ohtani (2024). 

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, “You’re shaking your head in amazement sometimes. You know, you don’t get to see this. That’s what I told Alex (Bregman): ‘We don’t get to see things like this.’ You spend your whole life in baseball, and you just don’t see this happen on a baseball field.” 

Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga said there were no words to describe what Crow-Armstrong was doing. In August, even Dave Roberts said Pete making this a race could push Ohtani even further. That praise has followed Crow-Armstrong as Chicago continues fighting toward another postseason run. 

With six games left and heading into the playoffs, Crow-Armstrong can solidify his case for NL MVP and lead the Cubs in the NL playoffs.