Cubs have a huge Pete Crow-Armstrong hitting problem

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Cubs have a huge Pete Crow-Armstrong hitting problem originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Cubs are off to a solid start this season at a 17-12 record, only a game and a half behind the Cincinnati Reds for first in the NL Central.

While their pitching staff has struggled a bit, their offense has been one of the best in baseball. However, it's not thanks to Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has had some major struggles this season.

ESPN's David Schoenfield named PCA as the biggest disappointment in baseball among center fielders, highlighting the problem the Cubs now have with their new $115 million man.

Cubs have a big hitting problem with Pete Crow-Armstrong​

"If you noticed PCA's struggles in the second half of last season, his low output so far - .241 average, one home run - isn't a big surprise," Schoenfield writes. "Only Ezequiel Tovar has chased more often outside the strike zone, and pitchers have exploited that aggressiveness."

So far this season, Crow-Armstrong is hitting .241 with one home run, which is thanks in large part to how he's struggling to barrel up any baseballs this season.

He had 59 barrels last year, but this season he's barreled up just four baseballs. The 24-year-old center fielder who recently signed a $115 million extension through 2032 has a .620 OPS on the season so far.

There are some major issues with his offense, and the 31-homer, 95 RBI, and .768 OPS season from a year ago looks to be so far away from his current abilities this season.

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However, Crow-Armstrong does still provide value to this team. He has 1.1 bWAR on the year, and is one of the best defensive players in all of baseball across all positions.

PCA is also a threat on the basepaths, as he has six steals this season. The only issue for Crow-Armstrong has been actually getting on base.

His offensive presence has been minimal at best this season, with his 82 OPS+ showing just how far below league-average he is offensively.

Schoenfield named him the most disappointing center fielder in baseball, and it's solely due to his offensive struggles this season. He can still turn things around, but for now, he's a big problem for the Cubs, who need more offense out of their $115M outfielder.

More MLB news:​

• Braves predicted to trade Bryce Elder for Lars Nootbaar
• Jacob DeGrom is under 200 strikeouts away from 2,000 for his career
• Mets didn’t want to trade Brett Baty while White Sox didn’t want Mark Vientos in Luis Robert Jr. trade
• Red Sox never close on Astros’ Isaac Paredes trade
• Shohei Ohtani deemed more valuable than Aaron Judge in recent ESPN discussion piece

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