4 weeks agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Pete Crow-Armstrong (hamstring) was scratched from Monday's lineup with right hamstring tightness. Maddie Lee of The Sun Times noted that this is a precautionary move. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status during the week in case this injury begins to linger. The former top prospect received his first full look at the majors last season and is expected to be the team's everyday center fielder in 2025. After a slow start in the first half where the 22-year-old posted a .203/.253/.329 line, Crow-Armstrong flipped the script in the second half as he held a much-higher .262/.310/.425 line. Across 123 contests, he swiped an impressive 27 bags and placed in the 99th percentile in sprint speed. Even if his bat needs more time to adjust to the major leagues, his elite speed makes him a viable No. 3/No. 4 OF in category formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Maddie Lee
2 months agoAccording to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, the Chicago Cubs are not expected to utilize young outfielder
Pete Crow-Armstrong as their leadoff hitter early in the season. Manager Craig Counsell said he is "open-minded" about the decision but will probably not have him open the season in that role. The head skipper also noted that Crow-Armstrong's hesitance to steal bases late in the season is a part of this decision. While Crow-Armstrong began to find his footing in the second half of 2024 as he held a .262/.310/.425 line with ten stolen bases and eight doubles, he swiped only one of those bags in September. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his progress during spring training, as his outlook would be altered if he moved to the bottom half of the lineup. As a result, this would likely make
Ian Happ or
Nico Hoerner (elbow) the top candidates for the leadoff spot. Given Happ's elite on-base skills, he would have a path to tallying a career-high in runs batting in front of
Kyle Tucker and
Seiya Suzuki.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Bruce Levine
7 months agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Pete Crow-Armstrong went a perfect 5-for-5 in getting on base in Wednesday's 14-10 win over the Pirates, collecting four hits and was even intentionally walked in his fifth plate appearance. The 22-year-old has been hot as of late, with multi-hit games in four of his last six, going 11-for-23 (.478) with three extra-base hits, seven RBI, nine runs scored, a 5:6 BB:K, and three stolen bases over that stretch. After seeing his batting average dip all the way down to .180 on July 26, the former first-round draft pick has raised it all the way up to .233, not far below the major league average of .244. Experiencing such futility over his first 66 games, it might be hard to trust him leading up to the fantasy playoffs, but he does have the pedigree and for those willing to ride the wave, the youngster is still available in almost 70% of Yahoo leagues.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
7 months agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Pete Crow-Armstrong had a wild day on Monday as his team blew out the Pittsburgh Pirates 18-8. Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-5 with three singles, a walk, an RBI, and three stolen bases. Crow-Armstrong has had an underwhelming year at the plate, but he has been better lately. In his past 15 games, he is slashing .306/.382/.633 with four homers and nine RBI. Despite his inconsistencies at the plate, though, he has emerged as one of the league's best base stealers, stealing 26 of 27 bags this season (ranking 15th in the MLB). Fantasy managers searching for speed or an outfielder should consider adding Crow-Armstrong, as he's only rostered in 15% of Yahoo leagues.
--Jake Kleiner - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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