Pete Crow-Armstrong Appreciation Thread

[Rob]

1 hour ago, squally1313 said:

Lot of potential comps mentioned in the article but I haven't really found one I love yet.

• Lorenzo Cain - maxed out at 16 HRs and 30 SBs, there's a very real chance PCA eclipses both of those this year, but Cain was much better at putting the ball in play/getting on base
• Kiermeyer - PCA is a better hitter and faster
• JBJ - PCA is a better defender and much faster
• Ellsbury - Just a different hitter and probably faster than PCA. Only had double digit HRs twice (including 32 in a 9.5 fWAR year), but career 13.7% K rate
• Granderson - Has more power and less speed/defense than PCA, really more of a power hitter with some stolen bases early in his career
• Sizemore - Wanted this one really bad but he had pretty consistent double digit walk rates. Pretty insane how short his run was, just four years with over 4 fWAR
• Andruw Jones - Better defender, better hitter. 

I've always been partial to a Mike Cameron comp. Cameron walked more, but had a tiny bit less value with the legs. Career .249/.338/.444 hitter with a bunch of defensive and baserunning value. 50+ fWAR for his career.

[Bertz]

1 hour ago, squally1313 said:

Lot of potential comps mentioned in the article but I haven't really found one I love yet.

• Lorenzo Cain - maxed out at 16 HRs and 30 SBs, there's a very real chance PCA eclipses both of those this year, but Cain was much better at putting the ball in play/getting on base
• Kiermeyer - PCA is a better hitter and faster
• JBJ - PCA is a better defender and much faster
• Ellsbury - Just a different hitter and probably faster than PCA. Only had double digit HRs twice (including 32 in a 9.5 fWAR year), but career 13.7% K rate
• Granderson - Has more power and less speed/defense than PCA, really more of a power hitter with some stolen bases early in his career
• Sizemore - Wanted this one really bad but he had pretty consistent double digit walk rates. Pretty insane how short his run was, just four years with over 4 fWAR
• Andruw Jones - Better defender, better hitter. 

I think Tigers era Granderson is a pretty solid comp.

[sneakypower]

the Corey Patterson hype realized actually gets pretty close; stylistically,Victorino & Ellsbury work pretty well from recent memory

i had seen it mentioned somewhere that he applied a swing change around 7/27 last year and that gives even more optimism he can sustain elite value over a bigger sample

Edited April 25, 2025 by sneakypower

[Clem Fandango]

2013 Carlos Gomez?

[We Got The Whole 9]

Aaron Judge is legit Barry Bonds

[Tryptamine]

1 hour ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Aaron Judge is legit Barry Bonds

I mean seriously, what the guy is doing is just so absurdly beyond everyone else in the league right now. The guy is on an unprecedented 16.2 fWAR/162 pace which is just so far out there it seems made up. He has already accumulated 29.5 fWAR since the start of his age 30 season and at the rate he's going you could ignore his entire career before age 30 and he'd reach HoF level fWAR production by the end of his age 36 season. 

[jb10194]

2 hours ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Aaron Judge is legit Barry Bonds

Bonds 162 game average: 8.8 bWAR, 41 HR, 108 RBI, 1.051 OPS

Judge 162 game average: 8.7 bWAR, 51 HR, 118 RBI, 1.016 OPS

I might have said it before, but you can make the case that Judge is the best HR hitter of all time

[Derwood]

[Stratos]

12 hours ago, squally1313 said:

Lot of potential comps mentioned in the article but I haven't really found one I love yet.

• Lorenzo Cain - maxed out at 16 HRs and 30 SBs, there's a very real chance PCA eclipses both of those this year, but Cain was much better at putting the ball in play/getting on base
• Kiermeyer - PCA is a better hitter and faster
• JBJ - PCA is a better defender and much faster
• Ellsbury - Just a different hitter and probably faster than PCA. Only had double digit HRs twice (including 32 in a 9.5 fWAR year), but career 13.7% K rate
• Granderson - Has more power and less speed/defense than PCA, really more of a power hitter with some stolen bases early in his career
• Sizemore - Wanted this one really bad but he had pretty consistent double digit walk rates. Pretty insane how short his run was, just four years with over 4 fWAR
• Andruw Jones - Better defender, better hitter. 

Lefty Byron Buxton (hopefully more healthy)?

[Clem Fandango]

2024 through 123 games:

1.9 rWAR & 2.7 fWAR

2025 through 30 games:

1.9 rWAR & 2.0 fWAR

 

 

 

[We Got The Whole 9]

Starting with his 2-HR game vs LAD he's hit 400 with a 92 EV, 50% hard-hit, and 26% barrel rate. 20 degree launch angle. 58% flyball rate. Basically hitting like an Aaron Judge who never walks.

 

 

Edited April 30, 2025 by We Got The Whole 9

[Bull]

On 4/25/2025 at 12:25 PM, squally1313 said:

Lot of potential comps mentioned in the article but I haven't really found one I love yet.

• Lorenzo Cain - maxed out at 16 HRs and 30 SBs, there's a very real chance PCA eclipses both of those this year, but Cain was much better at putting the ball in play/getting on base
• Kiermeyer - PCA is a better hitter and faster
• JBJ - PCA is a better defender and much faster
• Ellsbury - Just a different hitter and probably faster than PCA. Only had double digit HRs twice (including 32 in a 9.5 fWAR year), but career 13.7% K rate
• Granderson - Has more power and less speed/defense than PCA, really more of a power hitter with some stolen bases early in his career
• Sizemore - Wanted this one really bad but he had pretty consistent double digit walk rates. Pretty insane how short his run was, just four years with over 4 fWAR
• Andruw Jones - Better defender, better hitter. 

Willie McGee with more pop?

[Bertz]

Since his breakout last July 27th he's got a 129 wRC+ and 4.2 WAR.  We're talking 341 PAs too, so we're past SSS territory (though not so far past that we can call *this* his true talent level).

[squally1313]

20 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Since his breakout last July 27th he's got a 129 wRC+ and 4.2 WAR.  We're talking 341 PAs too, so we're past SSS territory (though not so far past that we can call *this* his true talent level).

Whatever he's done in the last week (beyond the obvious) has been huge. Feel like a week ago he had an xwOBA of like .300 and now it's up to .324 on FG and .343 on Savant. Still overperforming, but .340s is basically Ian Happ at the plate, before considering his all world defense and baserunning. LIke, Willy Adames put up a .342 wOBA and 4.8 fWAR, and Pete tripled his baserunning value and doubled his defensive value last year. 

[Bertz]

7 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

Whatever he's done in the last week (beyond the obvious) has been huge. Feel like a week ago he had an xwOBA of like .300 and now it's up to .324 on FG and .343 on Savant. Still overperforming, but .340s is basically Ian Happ at the plate, before considering his all world defense and baserunning. LIke, Willy Adames put up a .342 wOBA and 4.8 fWAR, and Pete tripled his baserunning value and doubled his defensive value last year. 

He also should overperform his xwOBA.  Speed will give him infield hits plus extra bases on more solidly hit balls.  He also is pulling a bunch of fly balls, which should should help his ~average power play up like we've seen with Bellinger and Paredes.

I would guess the .370/.300 gap he was running not too long ago isn't sustainable, but the .370/.340 he's running right now might not include much luck.

[The_Achiever]

He's amazing.  Say he doesn't sign an extension, when would he become a free agent?

(I definitely don't want that, just curious how long he would be under team control)

[Andy]

1 minute ago, The_Achiever said:

He's amazing.  Say he doesn't sign an extension, when would he become a free agent?

(I definitely don't want that, just curious how long he would be under team control)

He's not FA eligible until after the 2030 season.

[The_Achiever]

Excellent, thank you.

[Bertz]

 

 

[CubinNY]

a left-handed Mickey Mantle with a little less power

[Hot Sauce]

It isn't a direct one to one comp, but PCA reminds me a lot of Jim Edmonds. Lefty bat, highlight reel centerfielder, swagger that makes fans love or hate him. What he lacks in Edmonds' power he makes up for in speed that Jim didn't have. 

[Derwood]

30 minutes ago, Hot Sauce said:

It isn't a direct one to one comp, but PCA reminds me a lot of Jim Edmonds. Lefty bat, highlight reel centerfielder, swagger that makes fans love or hate him. What he lacks in Edmonds' power he makes up for in speed that Jim didn't have. 

Not enough half-shirts and eye liner

[We Got The Whole 9]

Torii Hunter maybe

[Hot Sauce]

5 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Torii Hunter maybe

I forgot how consistently good he was for a long time. 

[NorthsideAvenger]

Better version of Steve Finley?