Ian Happ: Pete Crow-Armstrong has 6-WAR potential as soon as next season

(670 The Score) Cubs rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s growth has been on display in the second half of this season.

After a rough first half in which he hit .203 with three homers, a .582 OPS and a 25.9% strikeout rate in 60 games, Crow-Armstrong has been much-improved in the past two months. Since the All-Star break, he’s hitting .277 with seven homers, an .808 OPS and a 21.5% strikeout rate in 51 games.

His development has been arguably the most promising sign for the Cubs’ future outlook, as the speedy Crow-Armstrong has star potential if he continues to develop and can be a solid hitter. In the mind of Cubs left fielder Ian Happ, Crow-Armstrong has 6-WAR potential as soon as next season – and the sky is the limit beyond that.

“He’s got all the tools to do it, right?” Happ said on the Bernstein & Holmes Show on Tuesday. “His defense and baserunning, the value that he’s going to provide there from the WAR system, it’s always going to be fantastic. You get a full season of him in center field and him running the bases and stealing bags, that’s going to be huge. And then what he’s been able to do offensively the last couple of months has obviously been a huge boost for us and a huge lift. It’s so easy for a young player like that – there’s a huge adjustment to the league. It’s the hardest it’s ever been to hit. It’s so different from what you’re seeing at Triple-A, and I think you’ve seen, as he’s continued to make adjustments and continued to develop, just what the tool set looks like and the ability. It’s been fun to watch. It’s been awesome to see it come together.

“You continue to see the development day in and day out. I’m excited for him to finish strong and then see what it looks like moving forward.”

Crow-Armstrong has compiled 2.7 WAR in 2024, according to FanGraphs. Eight players in MLB compiled 6.0 WAR or better in 2023, while 20 players reached that threshold in 2022, per FanGraphs.

Listen to Crow-Armstrong’s full interview in the audio player above.