Jed Hoyer and the Cubs are heading into a pivotal offseason. After 4 straight years without a trip to the playoffs, Hoyer and Co. are looking to build a roster that can get the franchise back into October. As they work to enhance this group, we are analyzing the Top 10 building blocks already on the Cubs roster. First up: Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Practically since the moment he was acquired in 2021, there was a buzz to Pete Crow-Armstrong. From the onset, the elite defense — at a premium position — was enticing. Couple that with some elite speed and flashes at the plate and the aura around the prospect carried some credence.

In 2024, Cubs fans saw it firsthand — and saw why he could be the face of their franchise for years to come. He made ridiculous catches seem ordinary. He had near misses that would be no-doubt hits for other fielders. He was a blur on the basepaths. Oh, and about midway through the season, he figured it out at the plate, making him an integral part of the Cubs’ future.

A loaded farm system doesn’t mean much until those players either produce at the big-league level or are used to acquire major-league talent. Crow-Armstrong is quickly becoming the former and the many years of club control ahead of him make him the No. 1 building block for the franchise moving forward.

“I mean, he showed what he can be in the second half of the season,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said at his end-of-season press conference. “I mean, I think that of all the developments of 2024, I think that his emergence in the second half should be certainly high on the list of those things.”

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In the worst of outcomes, Crow-Armstrong provides arguably some of the best defense in the league in center field. And if he’s anything like he was over the final few months of 2024, it’s the type of performance that can help outperform expectations for a team.

In his final 57 games of the year, the 22-year-old posed an .807 OPS with 7 homers and 9 stolen bases — over a full season, that’s nearly a 20-20 season. That type of production, coupled with Gold Glove caliber defense year over year makes him the most enticing player on the Cubs roster moving forward.

The biggest questions and issues surrounding Crow-Armstrong will be at the plate — for all his adjustments, those first few months hitting-wise were a massive struggle. Through his first 65 games this season he was slashing .183/.234/.297. There should be some level of concern that his final few months aren’t a true reflection of who he is.

Despite those struggles, he finished the year at an impressive 2.7 fWAR in 123 games. A remarkable feat and why it’s generates excitement for years to come. 

[MORE: Hoyer impressed with rookie campaigns of Michael Busch, Shota Imanaga]

Hoyer talked at the end of the season about players outperforming expectations as a means to putting up successful campaigns. A team like the Royals was able to outperform their expectations because Bobby Witt Jr. was a star and put up a whopping 10.4 fWAR this season. That mitigated other weaknesses on the team. 

It’s highly unlikely that Crow-Armstrong puts up a 10+ fWAR season, but he’s the exact type of player that can outperform projections in 2025 and help carry the team. If he ends next season with an fWAR in the 4-6 range, would it be that shocking? Probably not. 

Throw in the fact that he’s under club control through the 2029 season — when he’ll be 27 and just entering his prime — and it makes him the key centerpiece for the Cubs moving forward.  

His defense will help be in the lineup everyday. His offensive progressive will help him elevate his team — and it all depends if he continues to perform like the last few months. 

And the Cubs are optimistic that he’ll do that.

“[I] couldn’t be more excited about him being a center fielder going forward,” Hoyer said.