Pete Crow-Armstrong had himself a night on Monday during the Cubs’ win against the Rockies, completing the cycle for the first time in his career.
Crow-Armstrong needed just four trips to hit for the cycle, and he did it in reverse order, too, opening the game with a solo shot and hitting a triple, double and single in that order during his next three plate appearances. He did, however, get picked off of first base after his cycle-completing single.
PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG COMPLETES THE CYCLE ‼️ pic.twitter.com/X3yjpSxEtL
— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2026
It was the first cycle of the 2026 season and just the 13th time a Cubs hitter achieved the elusive feat. It also occurred on the same day MLB released its first All-Star voting update, wherein Crow-Armstrong only received 265,408 votes. That ranks 14th among National League outfielders, behind players such as Mauricio Dubón, the entire Phillies outfield––Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford and Adolis García––and Teoscar Hernández.
Crow-Armstrong is a household name, enjoying an incredible season and is a walking highlight reel. Yet fans haven’t shown him much love in the early returns on All-Star voting.
Part of the reason for his lower voting returns is due to the defensive nature of Crow-Armstrong’s value. He ranks sixth in MLB with a 3.5 fWAR and is enjoying a sensational season in center field, where he’s recorded 13 outs above average, the most among all outfielders and second only to Bobby Witt Jr. in MLB. Statcast ranks Crow-Armstrong in the 100th percentile for arm value and range, as well as the 94th percentile in arm strength.
Those who don’t watch the Cubs on a nightly basis may not often see Crow-Armstrong at his most valuable, patrolling center field and running down fly balls. He’s also had a handful of somewhat viral mishaps in the outfield, which certainly attract more eyes than his usual defensive contributions. And while he’s been an above-average hitter at the plate with excellent speed, his offensive numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page. This season, Crow-Armstrong has an .806 OPS and a 126 wRC+. He’s up to 13 home runs on the year with 35 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Very solid numbers, but perhaps not ones that scream bonafide All-Star.
Those numbers have only recently begun to trend upwards, too. Crow-Armstrong has begun to shake off what was a dismal start after signing a six-year, $115 million contract prior to the start of the campaign. While he’s heated up at the plate since then, he ended April with a .669 OPS and 38 strikeouts in 31 games. Things got a bit better in May, but he didn’t truly get things going offensively until this month.
Another factor that could be impacting Crow-Armstrong’s All-Star candidacy, at least in the eyes of fans, is the heated exchange he had with a fan earlier this season. In the incident, which went viral on social media, Crow-Armstrong was captured on camera responding to a taunting fan in the outfield, directing some vulgar language at the woman. Although he apologized for the exchange and how he handled himself, it would hardly be a surprise if that moment still lingers in the minds of voters.
Crow-Armstrong wasn’t the only Cubs player who didn’t rack up many All-Star votes thus far into Phase 1, either. In fact, there isn’t a single Cub in the top two, or even the top five, of any position at this stage. There’s still 10 days until the second phase of All-Star voting begins, so there’s time for Crow-Armstrong to start getting the recognition he deserves. Perhaps his cycle on Monday night will provide the boost he needs as he looks to start his second consecutive All-Star Game in center field.
