Old Crow (Armstrong) Medicine Show
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 4-4, 2 HR, 4 R, 2 RBI.
Some of you may be surprised that I didn’t go with Michael Busch’s hat trick here, but I wanted to take the time to dig into Pete Crow-Armstrong’s rise to superstardom in 2025. So far, the Chicago Cubs‘ offense has been third in Team wRC+ behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees after ranking 15th last season, and Pete Crow-Armstrong has been a major part of the Cubs taking that leap forward.
If you’ve read one of my Batter’s Box articles before, you’ll know I’m an advocate of using defensive prowess in fantasy. A strong glove not only fuels plate appearances but can help keep a player off the bench during a cold streak. While PCA hasn’t had to worry much about cold streaks this year, his 100th percentile Outs Above Average puts him in the top five in baseball. This has not only set him up for an everyday role but has given him the opportunity to move up from the bottom third of the lineup and become the Cubs’ cleanup hitter. Unless he struggles and gets dropped down the order again, PCA should jump up to 600-700 PAs this season.
Crow-Armstrong’s 97th percentile sprint speed and 99th percentile baserunning run value, along with 600-700 PAs of work driving up his stolen base opportunities, give him a real shot at 40+ stolen bases. There’s a very small group of players with this type of power/speed combo right now, but will it continue in the second half?
The Power+ in this graph is certainly fun to dream on, as that would put him in a tier with Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. but without changing his approach at the plate, his power is bound for some major regression. PCA leads the league with a 45.3% Chase rate and 18.5% Swing Aggression this season, and his 120 Pitch Runs value shows he has also squared off against a ton of lower-quality pitches (h/t Kyle Bland). In short, his luck is about to run out as long as he continues his extremely swing-happy ways.
He should still continue to be a valuable source of stolen bases with power and rate stats that won’t hinder a fantasy offense, but buyer beware if you intend for him to anchor your outfield en route to a 40 home run/50 stolen base campaign. If I’m wrong, I’ll happily eat some crow (or Crow-Armstrong, if you will).
Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday:
Michael Busch (CHC): 4-4, 3 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI.
Michael Busch has emerged as one of baseball’s premier platoon bats in 2025. Busch delivered two early bombs in the second and third innings off Miles Mikolas, clocking in at 107.1 and 109.6 mph, respectively. One of the starkest platoon splits in the league, Busch has been hitting .316/.400/.605/1.005 with a .428 wOBA and 180 wRC+ against righties this season. His third of the day was only Busch’s second career home run against a lefty, so he makes for an easy start/sit decision.
My biggest concern here is that the Chicago Cubs could trade for a corner infielder with the trade deadline on the horizon. With Seiya Suzuki serving as the Cubs’ primary DH, that could spell trouble for his playing time. As I mentioned above, even if PCA does regress, his elite glove would keep him in the lineup over Busch. I wouldn’t make any panic moves just yet, but it may be worthwhile shopping Busch to test the market in your leagues.
Vinnie Pasquantino (KCR): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.
They call him the Italian Breakfast for a reason, and Vinnie Pasquantino served us the full continental breakfast last night. Pasquantino kicked off a big night for the Kansas City Royals‘ offense with a 105.5 mph three-run homer in the first, only to follow it up in the fourth inning with a 103.9 mph two-run blast, tallying an RBI on six of the Royals’ nine runs scored. Surprisingly, his power has been a bit lacking this season with a 97 Power+, but a 118 Contact+ and career high 91.2 mph average exit velocity, 72.9 mph bat speed and 110 wRC+ point to the power rebounding.
This could be the start of a big second-half performance from Pasquantino, and don’t forget, it’s the second half that wins fantasy championships in September!
Jasson Domínguez (NYY): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, SB.
Jasson Domínguez’s rookie season has long been anticipated by anyone familiar with baseball’s top prospects, and he’s shown up in a big way recently. In 25 games since his return from a thumb injury at the beginning of June, Domínguez has two home runs, eight stolen bases, a .318/.359/.459/.818 slashline, and a 130 wRC+. Both of those home runs came last night, but despite playing in Yankee Stadium, the 22-year-old outfielder is known more for his speed and contact ability than his power.
In fact, he’s played far better outside of Yankee Stadium this season with six home runs, 11 stolen bases, a .297/.344/.497/.840 slashline and a 133 wRC+. I wouldn’t go so far as to say to bench Domínguez when he’s at home, the Yankees have an elite player development system, but let’s not fall into the trap of only starting (non-Judge) Yankees when they play in the Bronx either.
Trevor Story (BOS): 4-5, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, SB.
Trevor Story has been in the midst of his best season since leaving the Colorado Rockies and added to it yesterday with a “Combo Meal”. His 103.4 mph home run wasn’t even his hardest hit ball of the day, as it came after he hit a scorching 109.6 mph single in the fifth. The rebound Story is in full effect with his 90.5 mph average exit velocity and 46.5% hard hit rate being the highest clips we’ve seen from him in a Boston Red Sox jersey. The injury risk is still here, as he hasn’t reached the 100-game mark since 2021, but any concerns about Story’s performance when healthy should be gone.
Christian Walker (HOU): 4-5, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI.
Christian Walker’s career in Houston has been off to a rough start, but he picked up his 11th homer of the year last night with a 107.5 mph bomb in the third inning. Walker may finally be picking up steam, starting the month of July 10-for-19 with only one strikeout and a 148 wRC+ in four games. Obviously, we’re talking about a very small sample size here, but over his career, July and August have been Walker’s most productive months with highs in BB/K, OPS, wOBA, and wRC+. He’s worth watching given his consistency as one of the league’s top first baseman. Some players just need time to adjust to a new team/ballpark.
Eugenio Suárez (ARI): 1-2, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Eugenio Suárez hit his 28th home run of the season last night as he attempted to help the Arizona Diamondbacks mount a comeback against the Royals. At this point, he may be a long shot to make the NL MVP ballot, but his skill as one of the league’s best long shot hitters makes him vastly underrated in fantasy circles right now. So far this season, Suárez has managed an elite 14.3% barrel rate and 51.6% hard hit rate, alongside a solid 91.0 mph average exit velocity, 118 Power+, and 107 Decision Value+. In fact, since his 2015 breakout, Suárez ranks fifth amongst all hitters with 300 home runs. He may not be as well-rounded overall as Aaron Judge, but a knockoff-Aaron Judge is still a player I’d want on my fantasy teams if I’m making a playoff run.
Nick Kurtz (ATH): 1-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.
The insert city here Athletics are doing their best to lock up the AL Rookie of the Year award as Nick Kurtz has been giving teammate Jacob Wilson a run for his money lately, hitting home run number 13 last night. Since his return from injury at the start of June, Kurtz has eight homers, 19 RBI, and a 131 wRC+ in 22 games. A 35.5% strikeout rate over that span is less than ideal, but his 119 Decision Value+ ranks in the Top 50, so there could be some small sample size noise there. Either way, his 127 Power+ is tied for 11th in the league, and with his pedigree, there’s no doubt that the power is legitimate.
Caleb Durbin (MIL): 2-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 SB.
The speedster theme of this article may have been inadvertent, but it makes for the perfect opportunity to talk about Caleb Durbin’s 2025 campaign. The former New York Yankees prospect doesn’t have the top speed that some of the other players I’ve mentioned here have, but an 80th percentile sprint speed will do just fine, especially when paired with his 70th percentile baserunning run value. Durbin also recorded 30+ stolen bases in each of his last three seasons in the minor leagues. The 25-year-old has emerged as the Milwaukee Brewers‘ starting third baseman this season and has flashed elite Contact+ (126) and Decision Value+ (113) that bode well for his stolen base opportunities rest of season.
Pedigree? Check. Regular playing time? Check. Hit tool? Check. Again, he may not have the stolen base upside of someone like PCA or Domínguez, but that should be reflected in his cost. If not, there’s another player below who should likely be a higher priority add for stolen bases anyways…
Evan Carter (TEX): 1-3, BB, 2 SB.
Evan Carter has been quietly productive since returning from a quad strain in June. Since then, he has three homers, seven steals, a .333/.425/.522/.947 slashline, and a 168 wRC+. With 90th percentile sprint speed, an everyday role deep in the heart of Texas’ lineup, and a 114 Contact+ tool, Carter should get on base plenty and might still be able to swipe 30+ bags this year.
Between Carter and the titular Crow-Armstrong, I’d much rather be trading for Evan Carter right now, and I’ve even managed to find him on waivers in a few of my shallower PL+ leagues. Don’t assume you’ve missed the boat here.
Denzel Clarke (ATH): 2-4, 3B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
With Canada Day being observed earlier this week, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my fellow countryman Denzel Clarke here. Clarke is yet another elite speedster (95th percentile sprint speed) with an elite glove (99th percentile OAA) that will anchor his playing time, but it’s the power that stood out last night. Clarke’s third home run was a mammoth 108.5 mph, 471-foot blast that makes me wonder if his 74.3 mph bat speed is here to stay.
