Cubs have a Pete Crow-Armstrong problem dating to the trade deadline

TL;DR

Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs is experiencing a significant slump at the plate, with a .551 OPS since the trade deadline in July 2025. Despite his defensive prowess in centerfield, his offensive struggles have raised concerns.

Cubs have a Pete Crow-Armstrong problem dating to the trade deadline originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Pete Crow-Armstrong will always be valuable to the Chicago Cubs, because no one plays centerfield like he does. When the ball is hit out there, it's going to be caught. That's just how it works.

But at the plate right now, PCA is mired in an immense slump, and it goes back to the middle of last season.

Midway through the 2025 campaign, Crow-Armstrong was generating MVP chatter.

And then from the trade deadline on, he struggled, and that hasn't stopped. Since July 30 of the 2025 season through Monday, April 13 -- PCA has a .551 OPS.

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That's the kind of OPS you might find from a backup catcher.

It's not at all the number you might think would come from a player who hit more than 30 home runs and stole more than 30 bases last season.

The thing is, Crow-Armstrong is a bit of an all-or-nothing hitter. He hardly ever walks. Through Monday, he has gone 52 plate appearances in a row without walking.

So when his swing-and-miss shows up a little bit too much, too, there's very little recourse for him. He doesn't take pitches, and if he doesn't hit them, then problems arise.

He's still young, and he's got enough of an early-career MLB track record to believe he'll get on the upswing soon enough.

But it's becoming clear with PCA that at least in the batter's box, he has some risk. His approach at the plate definitely isn't without flaws.