Chicago Cubs 2026 Position Analysis: Center Field

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Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs enter 2026 in a rather interesting position in center field. 

On the one hand, they have Pete Crow-Armstrong entrenched as the anchor of the outfield grass. His speed, obscene glove, and baserunning acumen will keep him in the lineup even when the bat is being pinned down by a still-developing approach. We know the upside is in there; Crow-Armstrong took steps toward stardom in 2025 courtesy of a 109 wRC+ and impressive counting stats that included 31 home runs and 35 stolen bases. However, he's held back by his immaturity, with chase and whiff rates that were among the league's worst and strikeout and walk numbers to match. The hope is that some growth is in the tank and a more measured approach can yield larger gains on the offensive side. Even so, though, he's the guy in the longer-term. 

Behind him, however, things are a bit cloudy. Ethan Conrad and Kane Kepley are interesting prospects near the top of any prognostication of the team's system, but each at least a couple of years away. Brett Bateman is closer but features less upside. That means that beyond Crow-Armstrong in the short term, you're looking at some combination of Kevin Alcántara or whichever of the smattering of non-roster invitees stick around past spring camp. Not that it's cause for concern when you're employing someone like Crow-Armstrong, but you'd like perhaps just a bit more certainty, especially if the starter proves as susceptible to burnout as he appeared to be in the latter portion of 2025. 

Cubs' Center Fielders At A Glance

Starter: Pete Crow-Armstrong
Backup: Kevin Alcántara 
Depth & Prospects: Dylan Carlson, Chas McCormick, Justin Dean, Ethan Conrad, Kane Kepley, Brett Bateman

fWAR Ranking Last Year: 4th (5.4)
fWAR Projection This Year: 2nd (4.8)

The Good

The center field position for the Cubs features one of the most exciting players in baseball. While some growth is needed on the offensive side, the glove plays. Crow-Armstrong's Outs Above Average finished at 24 in 2025, leading all defenders regardless of position. He was three ahead of Ceddanne Rafaela in OAA and seven in front of the next-closest outfielder. It's not a mystery where the strongest facet of his game lives. 

Even with the development still needed at the plate, Crow-Armstrong has the chops to bring that same level of excitement on offense. His Barrel% sat at 13.0 percent, which helped to feed into the .234 ISO he posted. A leveling out of his contact — his fly-ball rate was up near 50 percent — could allow his offense to take off on on-base gains alone. That'd allow him to utilize his 96th-percentile sprint speed with even more regularity. 

Beyond Crow-Armstrong, the prospects the Cubs have in their center field pool represent another layer of good for this group. Ethan Conrad may be destined for a corner before long, but possesses intriguing offensive upside. Kane Kepley represents a more traditional archetype at the position as a high-speed, high-contact guy. Along with Alcántara in Iowa, it's a position worth watching in a system that doesn't run too deep in terms of impact offensive talent.

The Bad

Swing-and-miss is a fairly prominent trait among this group. Crow-Armstrong did it 28.9 percent of the time last year and punched out 24.0 percent of the time overall. Alcántara did so at nearly a 30 percent clip while in Iowa. Neither will be able to fully realize their offensive potential if that element remains as it is. 

Given that he's the starter at the major-league level, though, Crow-Armstrong remains the focus. It's not so much the idea that he's an aggressive hitter. He very much is, but it's about the inconsistency within that aggression and the inability to make consistent contact as a result. Aggressive hitters can thrive, but too often Crow-Armstrong fails in maintaining a steady approach. That's how you get something that looks like this: 

Note that this graph charts his swings and misses inside of the strike zone. It's unlikely he's going to be able to eliminate the aggression entirely. Aggressive hitters generally stay aggressive. But he's going to have to find something consistent in terms a plate approach in order to stave off some of the streakiness we've seen to this point. Some mechanical tweaks could also be in the cards to level things out as well, but everything's going to have to start with some level of a plan when he steps into the batter's box.

The Bottom Line

This is a fun position in the organization. Not only do the Cubs employ one of the most exciting players in the sport in the middle of their outfield, but some of the most interesting prospects in the system come from that same spot. As such, Crow-Armstrong represents one of the most intriguing storylines in the game. Can he take the appropriate next steps forward? How far can the other names ascend in the system? These are legitimately fun questions to ask and the results will be worth monitoring regularity throughout 2026.

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