Pete Crow Armstrong overcame a slow start and achieved rare results, hitting 10 home runs and stealing 27 bases. Since 1986, only four other players have posted such numbers in fewer than 125 games as a rookie: Ellie Delacruz, Torrie Turner, Tracy Jones and Barry Bonds. So it’s safe to think that PCA will go down as one of the best players the game has ever seen.
Rookie with 10 HR and 25 SB in less than 125 games a season?️
Pete Crowe Amleston
Ellie Delacruz
Trea Turner
Tracy Jones
Barry Bonds
(since 1986) pic.twitter.com/xvjRWwq2MM
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) October 3, 2024
Or he could be like Jones, who played in 117 games with the Reds in 1987, hitting 10 home runs and stealing 31 bases, then going on to hit 15 home runs and steal 24 bases over the course of his four-year career. Hey, does anyone find it weird that four of the five players on this list are from what is now the National League Central Division? Or is it from the mid-’80s when stolen bases were all the rage? Wasn’t it more common in the early 90’s?
Bonds hit 16 home runs and drove in 36 hits in 113 games as a rookie in 1986, the same year Jones debuted. Dela Cruz had 13 dingers and 35 steals in just 98 games during his rookie season in 2023, the same year that PCA debuted. Turner was on an island as a rookie in 2016, and while he didn’t have any big moments that year, he did hit 13 home runs and steal 33 bases.
With new disengagement rules and bigger bases, stolen bases are back in fashion, and players like Dela Cruz and PCA are turning speed into an even bigger advantage. In fact, his aggressive and successful baserunning is a big part of why Crowe-Armstrong remained in Chicago despite posting a .180 average and 48 wRC+ through his first 195 at-bats. During that time, he recorded 18 stolen bases and provided at least marginal value from things other than his glove.
An offensive turnaround in late July saw the speedy rookie hit .289 with a 123 wRC+, seven home runs and just nine stolen bases in his final 215 PA. His walks increased and his strikeouts decreased, so he was able to reduce his need to get on base a little. It’s not that he was reckless early on, he just looked a lot more comfortable on the outside.
He’s gained more experience in MLB and has already proven to be one of the best defensive players in the game, so I’m hoping PCA will take his offense to a new level next season. I’m looking forward to it. Home run record, be careful.
