Pete Crow-Armstrong launched his 40th home run of the season on Sunday, joining an exclusive group of Chicago Cubs sluggers and cementing his place in franchise history.
The 24-year-old center fielder became the 10th Cubs player to reach 40 homers and just the second left-handed batter in club history to hit that mark since Hall of Famer Billy Williams belted 42 in 1970. Crow-Armstrong is also the first Cub with a 40-plus-home run season since Derrek Lee hit 46 in 2005.
The milestone blast came off Miami Marlins starter Tyler Phillips, an 84.7 mph sweeper that Crow-Armstrong turned on and sent 403 feet to right field with an exit velocity matching the distance. The homer gives him the second-most home runs in a season at age 24 or younger in Cubs history, trailing only Ernie Banks' 44 in 1955.
"He's hitting a lot of home runs at a young age," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said before Sunday's game. "Power is more [of] a learned trait than we give it credit for. You know, getting the ball in the air to the pull side is more of a learned part of hitting and an experienced part of hitting."
Crow-Armstrong's power surge has him trailing only Kyle Schwarber's 42 home runs for the Major League lead. But the 2025 All-Star isn't just making noise with his bat — he's chasing baseball history on the basepaths too.
With 33 steals entering Sunday's action, the NL MVP frontrunner has a legitimate shot at joining the exclusive 40-40 club, which would make him just the seventh player in MLB history to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season.
The complete package has made Crow-Armstrong one of baseball's most valuable players this season. He's slashing .280/.375/.573 with a .948 OPS while leading the league in defensive metrics. His +26 Fielding Run Value and 24 Outs Above Average both pace all of baseball, showcasing the two-way excellence that has defined his breakout campaign.
"Credit to Pete number one with his talent, and I think the coaches have done a wonderful job crafting that and helping him harness it and develop at a very fast pace," Counsell added.
According to Counsell, there have been books written about players getting into the "zone," and that's exactly where Crow-Armstrong has found himself consistently this season. But the young slugger seems more focused on the history books he's already rewriting with each swing.
The timing couldn't be better for the Cubs, who are watching their young star reach these milestones during what could be a pivotal stretch of the season. With each home run and stolen base, Crow-Armstrong continues building a case not just for individual accolades, but for a franchise looking to return to championship contention.
