Pete Crow-Armstrong has turned into one of baseball’s biggest all-around forces for the Chicago Cubs, and he’s doing it with a glove that keeps flashing in center field and a bat that’s taken a real jump this season.
The two-time All-Star is putting together the best offensive year of his career while still handling elite defensive work in center. And when the Cubs outfielder talks about the places he likes to patrol, Dodger Stadium sits near the top of the list.
“Honestly, I love playing center at Dodger Stadium,” Crow-Armstrong said during the 2026 MLB All-Star Game on Fox. “It’s a pretty simple layout. I got a little tripped up in center field there this year, but I’ve had some fun moments in that outfield.
“So I’d say there, Anaheim is great, St. Louis is great. Those three ballparks all take really good care of the grass and the playing surface.”
That comfort in Los Angeles makes sense. Crow-Armstrong grew up in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and spent plenty of time at Dodger Stadium as a kid. He’s also made his share of noise there as a big leaguer, including a standout play earlier this year when he went up at the left-center field wall to take away a potential extra-base hit from Teoscar Hernández.
But the ballpark has not always been kind to him. In the Cubs’ three-game series against the Dodgers from April 24-26, Crow-Armstrong misplayed a ball and finished just 2-for-10 with five strikeouts.
He also drew loud boos from Dodgers fans after earlier comments that rubbed them the wrong way. Crow-Armstrong had implied that Dodgers fans only care about the team when it’s winning, and he later stood by those remarks.
So while he may have made himself a villain in the eyes of some Dodgers fans, Crow-Armstrong still seems to enjoy coming home and playing in Southern California.
And beyond the regional chatter, there’s a bigger baseball chase taking shape around him. Shohei Ohtani has won two straight National League MVP Awards since signing his record-breaking deal with the Dodgers before the 2024 season.
With Ohtani still weeks away from potentially returning to the mound, some around the game believe the MVP picture could start to open up. Crow-Armstrong recently said he hopes to take down Ohtani as the reigning MVP, though he also acknowledged that’s a tough mountain to climb.
He doesn’t bring the pitching side of the equation the way Ohtani does, but Crow-Armstrong may be the sport’s best defensive player at one of its most demanding positions.
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