Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong proved yet again Friday night that he can absolutely fly around the base paths.
In the top of the third inning at loanDepot Park, Crow-Armstrong banged a four-seam fastball from Miami Marlins starter Max Meyer off the right field wall. It ricocheted toward center field, and by the time right fielder Jesus Sanchez picked up the baseball, Crow-Armstrong was a few steps away from touching third base.
It was a close play at the plate, but Crow-Armstrong safely slid home to complete a 14.04-second trip around the bases. Per MLB's Sarah Langs, Crow-Armstrong clocked the third-fastest home-to-home time in the Statcast era (since 2015), trailing only Minnesota Twins speedster Byron Buxton, who did it twice—13.85 seconds in 2017 and 14.05 seconds in '18.
Crow-Armstrong, a first-round pick by the New York Mets in 2020, was dealt to the Cubs in the Javy Baez trade in July 2021. He debuted in September last season but is finally starting to find his stride in the big leagues.
Crow-Armstrong owned a career .199/.249/.335 slash line in 102 games heading into Friday's contest, but he's batting a much-improved .268/.305/.500 in 18 games this month. The 22-year-old also has showed off his speed on the base paths, stealing 25 bases on 28 career attempts.
If Crow-Armstrong can keep his bat going, the Cubs have found a lethal weapon in their lineup for years to come.
