Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Cubs top prospect shows off epic fielding skills in first MLB start

By Ty Jadah | Last updated 9/13/23

Buckle up, Cubs fans.

Tuesday night offered a glimpse into how the Chicago Cubs have set themselves up for a stellar foundation up the middle for years to come.

Shortstop Dansby Swanson and second baseman Nico Hoerner are already among MLB leaders in Defensive Runs Saved, but the club's top prospect, Pete Crow-Armstrong, stole the spotlight (and a couple of extra bases) during his first Major League start.

Crow-Armstrong — baseball 12th-ranked prospect, per MLB.com — proved his scouting report to be true. MLB said the 21-year-old is one of "the game's best defensive prospects," grading him with a stellar 80 fielding scouting grade score.

Scouts gave "top-of-the-scale grades" to his center field skills, noting the 19th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft has "tremendous range from gap to gap," possesses a "combination of plus speed and precision reads and routes" and completes the package with "solid arm strength."

But if reading scouting reports are too laborious, see for yourself. PCA wasted no time getting onto the highlight reel on Tuesday, robbing the Rockies Nolan Jones of extra bases in the bottom of the first:

️ PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG! pic.twitter.com/3TjhcmBa7E
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 13, 2023

With Jones up in the bottom of the sixth, Crow-Armstrong saved the best — and more improbable— for last.

How does getting two hat tips from two different pitchers in your first major league start sound?

Get to know the name Pete Crow-Armstrong.

He's gonna be doing a lot of #glovework in the outfield. pic.twitter.com/xQ0tmykL7g
— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2023

After the Cubs' 6-4 defeat, PCA told Cubs.com, "I’m having a hard time getting past the loss."

Regarding covering 98 feet in 4.9 seconds for the wild catch in center, the youngster said, "I’ll make those plays every chance I get, but I also want to produce every chance I get.”

In his first MLB game, Crow-Armstong got his first RBI, too.

Expect to see plenty more of Crow-Armstrong — who was traded to the Cubs for Javier Baez at the 2021 trade deadline — and his 30.7 feet-per-second sprint speed, as Chicago continues to be in the middle of the NL Central division and NL wild-card races.

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