Cubs Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong Transforms Season with Batting Stance Change
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Cubs Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong Transforms Season with Batting Stance Change
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, a center fielder for the Chicago Cubs, significantly improved his 2026 season performance after adjusting his batting stance, leading to a .437 average in June with 9 home runs.
- These mechanical adjustments, which included lowering his hands and moving closer to the plate, were implemented around mid-May 2026 and have propelled him into the National League MVP conversation.
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Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has dramatically turned around his 2026 season, emerging as a leading contender for the National League MVP award following a significant overhaul of his batting mechanics. Earlier in the season, Crow-Armstrong was struggling, hitting around .223 by late May.
The transformation began around mid-May 2026, when Crow-Armstrong made several key adjustments to his batting stance. These changes included lowering his hands, moving closer to the plate, and shortening the distance between his feet. He also adopted a leg kick to generate more power and focused on being comfortable with pitches inside, rather than shying away. Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly noted that these adjustments helped Crow-Armstrong stay grounded and slowed him down, leading to a more athletic and powerful swing with a “skyrocketed” barrel rate.
The impact of these changes has been substantial. In June 2026 alone, Crow-Armstrong hit .437 with 9 home runs, 14 RBIs, and a 1.417 OPS. His performance against left-handed pitchers, a previous weakness, saw a remarkable improvement, with his wRC+ against lefties jumping from 59 in 2025 to 177 in 2026, the best in MLB for a left-handed hitter. As of late August 2026, he was batting .282 with 36 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases in 136 games. His overall value is reflected in a 4.3 bWAR and 3.9 fWAR, both ranking highly in the National League. These statistics have solidified his position as a strong candidate for the NL MVP award, challenging previous frontrunner Shohei Ohtani.