Rising star Pete Crow-Armstrong earns a coveted spot on Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.
Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to be recognized as one of the best up-and-coming players in Major League Baseball.
The 23-year-old finished ninth in the National League MVP voting on Thursday night. He received two fifth-place votes, four sixth-place votes, three seventh-place votes, five eighth-place votes, one ninth-place vote, and two tenth-place votes.
That means Crow-Armstrong was on 17 of the 30 writers’ ballots for the NL MVP Award. He was deserving of getting some MVP votes after a breakout campaign in 2025 in which he hit 31 home runs, drove in 95 RBI, and stole 35 bases.
If he hadn’t struggled at the plate in the second half, Crow-Armstrong likely would have finished much higher on the writers’ ballots for MVP. He hit just .185 with four home runs across the final 50 games of the season.
Nonetheless, it was a phenomenal season for the Cubs outfielder. He put the world on notice, and his play on the field even caught the attention of United States national baseball team manager Mark DeRosa.
With Team USA beginning to field its team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, DeRosa and his coaching staff are starting to announce players who will represent the country in March. Players such as Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Paul Skenes, and Bobby Witt Jr. have already been announced as players who will represent Team USA in the WBC.
Well, you can add Pete Crow-Armstrong to that team as well.
It was announced at the MLB Awards show on Thursday evening in Las Vegas that Crow-Armstrong will play for Team USA in the upcoming WBC. Being able to play for his country on the biggest stage is a testament to the impact he brings to the game of baseball.
He’s electric on the basepaths and is arguably the best outfielder in baseball. Both his Baserunning Run Value (5) and Fielding Run Value (21) ranked in the top 5% during the 2025 season. His 22 Runs Prevented (Statcast) also ranked first among all defenders this past year.
“I love playing for my country more than anything,” Crow-Armstrong said at the MLB Awards show. “So, getting to play for [DeRosa], getting to play with Cal, Corbin [Carroll], and Judge, it’s going to be great.”
At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the Cubs had no representation on Team USA’s roster. This time around, Crow-Armstrong will be representing the Cubs. The WBC will begin on March 5 and end with the championship game on March 17 in Miami.