The Chicago Cubs moved up four spots to No. 12 in this week’s power rankings, and they can thank Pete Crow-Armstrong for carrying them there.
After a rough start to the season, Crow-Armstrong’s completely turned things around. He’s been one of baseball’s hottest hitters through June, and that’s kept the Cubs competitive in the NL Central despite dealing with a pile of pitching injuries.
The Cubs took two of three from Colorado last week before splitting a rain-shortened series with Toronto over the weekend. Sunday’s game got wiped out, leaving both teams with just one win apiece.
That solid week helped Chicago climb from No. 16 to No. 12 in Bleacher Report’s latest rankings.
“It’s tempting to pencil in ‘Pete Crow-Armstrong’ rather than the cubs in the No. 12 spot, as his otherworldly month of June continued last week with an 11-for-20 showing that included five home runs. He is hitting .437/.481/.930 with nine home runs in 17 games in June, and has almost single-handedly pulled the Cubs out of their tailspin.”
Those numbers are absolutely ridiculous. Crow-Armstrong’s hitting .437 with a .930 slugging percentage this month – that’s video game territory.
What’s different now is he’s stopped trying to do too much at the plate. Early in the season, he was pressing and it showed. But he’s let his natural athleticism take over, and the results speak for themselves.
The Cubs had their Monday game against the Mets cancelled due to weather, but they’ve still got three more chances this week before heading on the road for a division series. With Crow-Armstrong swinging like this, they’re right in the thick of the NL Central race despite all those pitching problems.
