Pete Crow-Armstrong keeps stacking up milestones, and the latest one only adds to the case that he’s in the middle of a season Cubs fans may never see again. The 24-year-old was named National League Player of the Month for August, giving him his second such honor of the year and making him the first Cubs player ever to win the award multiple times in a single season since it began in 1973.
August was the month where Crow-Armstrong’s MVP case started to feel less like a conversation and more like a verdict. He led all of baseball with 14 home runs, including a three-homer game against the Cincinnati Reds.
He and Alex Bregman also became the first teammates since Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961 to each post at least 5 home runs, 25 walks, 50 RBI, and 50 runs. Crow-Armstrong also became the first player ever to hit both a leadoff and a walk-off homer in the same game, then followed it the next day with another leadoff blast - until Randy Arozarena later matched the feat against the Cubs.
The raw numbers in August were a touch below the absurd peak he reached in June, but they were still outrageous: .280/.366/.703 with a 185 wRC+. Bregman put together a strong month of his own at .296/.364/.661 with a 177 wRC+, but it wasn’t enough to stop Crow-Armstrong from taking the award again. His June performance had already put him on the map, and now he’s the first Cub to win the monthly honor more than once in the same year.
What makes the surge even more striking is how ordinary the season looked at the start. Through March and April, Crow-Armstrong carried an 85 wRC+.
He was better in May, but still nowhere near this level. Since June 1, though, he has played like a different hitter entirely, producing a .313/.410/.703 line with a 198 wRC+ and 31 home runs in 368 plate appearances.
And the offense isn’t even the whole story. Crow-Armstrong’s defense in center field remains a huge part of what makes this season so special.
He’s sitting at 24 outs above average, tied with Bobby Whit Jr. for the top spot on the Statcast leaderboard. The only other center fielder anywhere near that territory is Cedanne Rafaela, who has 14.
Back in July, Crow-Armstrong also passed Kevin Kiermaier for the most career 5-star catches with 33, despite having far fewer opportunities than Kiermaier had.
Put it all together, and the numbers start to look historic in a way that’s hard to ignore. Crow-Armstrong’s 9.3 fWAR is the highest in baseball, and it’s on pace to become the best single-season mark in Cubs history in nearly a century.
At 0.066 WAR per game, he’s tracking toward about 10.8 fWAR, which would trail only Rogers Hornsby’s 1929 season, when Hornsby finished with 11 fWAR. If he somehow reaches 40-40, the ceiling gets even higher.
Crow-Armstrong’s $115 million contract extension hasn’t even kicked in yet, but he’s already made it look like a bargain for the Cubs. Jed Hoyer trusted the player, and Crow-Armstrong has rewarded that belief with a season that belongs in rare company. Even with the 2026 Cubs stuck in an untimely slump, this is the kind of run that deserves to be remembered on its own.
In Other News...
Cubs May Have A New Shortstop Prospect Fans Need To Watch
The Cubs already got real value back from the Jefferson Rojas trade, with Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor both settling in nicely after arriving from the Mets. But the deal also left a little more room for the next wave of infield talent to matter, and Angel Cepeda has started to look like one of the names worth tracking in the system. In High-A this season, the young shortstop has taken a meaningful step forward and put himself into the conversation among the organizations deeper crop of middle-infield prospects.
Chicago still has other shortstop options in the pipeline, so nothing is settled and no one is handing out a future job based on one strong stretch. Even so, Cepedas development is exactly the kind of thing that can change a farm systems outlook over time, especially for a club that has already shown a willingness to move a prominent prospect when the major-league return makes sense. For Cubs fans, it is another reminder to keep an eye on the lower levels, where the next shortstop conversation may already be taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Face A Catching Question They Can't Ignore For 2027
Major League Baseball has already mapped out a February 19 start to 2027 spring training, but Cubs fans know better than to circle Cactus League dates too confidently with a work stoppage looming as a real possibility. Even so, the calendar is starting to put a spotlight on a part of the roster Chicago cannot afford to let drift, especially with the catching picture carrying more questions than answers as the organization looks ahead.
Miguel Amayas recent offensive struggles have only sharpened the discussion around what the Cubs want, and need, behind the plate by 2027. Catching is one of the hardest jobs to solve in a stable way, and for a team trying to project forward while keeping one eye on the present, the way Amaya finishes out the next stretch could matter well beyond the spring games that may or may not arrive on schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Edward Cabrera Is Making The Cubs Bullpen Question Even Tougher
The Cubs have been keeping a close eye on the rehab paths of Justin Steele, Shelby Miller and Edward Cabrera as they try to bolster a bullpen that figures to matter a lot over the seasons final stretch. Steeles first game appearance in nearly 18 months came in a rehab start, while Miller is nearing the point where he should be able to handle pitching on consecutive days, giving Chicago some hope that reinforcements could arrive in time to help.
Cabrera, though, has complicated the picture. His latest rehab outing did not go well, and for a team already sorting through a late-season relief mix, that makes his path back to meaningful major league work far less straightforward. The Cubs are still monitoring the situation, but the uncertainty around Cabrera only adds another layer to a bullpen decision that was already difficult enough. [Read more 🡒]