Q&A: PCA reflects on MVP-caliber season, embracing Cubs history

During the final homestand of the regular season, Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong sat down with MLB.com for a wide-ranging Q&A. Here are some highlights from that conversation.

CHICAGO -- Inside the Cubs’ batting cage earlier this season, a group of franchise icons were hanging out with the current players, talking shop and reminiscing about their days with the ballclub. It was a welcomed disruption to the daily routine, given the stature of the players involved.

"I was so happy that they were picking up the energy in the cages before the game," center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. "There was a little bit of it that was kind of like watching a bunch of people show back up to their childhood home."

Crow-Armstrong said he was excited to meet one of his childhood heroes, Alfonso Soriano. Also in the tunnel was Slammin’ Sammy Sosa -- the most prolific home run hitter in Cubs history. The season Crow-Armstrong compiled for the Cubs in 2026 looked a lot like some that those two enjoyed. Leadoff homers. Stolen bases. Franchise records tumbling. Champagne bottles popping.

During that gathering of Cubs greats in the cage as part of the team’s 150th anniversary celebration, Sosa told Crow-Armstrong to go hit three home runs that day. Chicago’s star center fielder -- an energetic showman in his own way -- went out and did just that on that afternoon.

That is the kind of year it was for Crow-Armstrong, who powered the Cubs’ lineup, helped his team reach the postseason, and put himself firmly in the MVP discussion.

Since you’ve been in Chicago, what’s made it so easy to embrace the city and the fan base?

PCA: It’s easy to embrace who and what embraces you. I think for anybody coming in here -- opposing players included -- it’s very easy to get excited and get up to play here. That’s my experience. I just look forward to playing here every day. The city loves all their sports. And I just want to add to that. And I want to be a part of something that brings people joy.

You kind of touched on it there, but you’ve become good friends with Caleb Williams, the Bears’ quarterback. What has it been like to see that resonate with fans and get them excited about what feels like a new era in Chicago sports?

PCA: We both just wanted to build something here that isn’t really being done anywhere else. I had a feeling how that would make our fans feel, but now that I’ve kind of seen the excitement that people get from us two simply being friends outside of our sports, it’s cool. The way that all this goes, you kind of get your gradual transition from baseball season to football season, and I don’t think we want to leave people much room to miss success in all that. It was intentional, but at the same time, we know that we’ve got to perform to make anybody excited about anything. We’ve bonded over what we both do well and how we approach things and how we see things and how we think. Getting to put it into action is very cool.

Your parents are both now in Chicago. How much has that added to your season this year?

PCA: They’ve got some peace of mind -- not having to travel all the time. My dad’s just got to hope for night games during the week and he shows up on the weekends now. And it’s cool, because he gets to keep doing what he really found enjoyment with, which is teaching and getting back into theater. He’s able to do both where he’s at now. I’m lucky. I’ve really enjoyed this year.

Your dad’s Cubs fandom and you being a Cubs fan when you were a kid has been well-documented. Has it been surreal having him come to Wrigley Field to watch you play?

PCA: He doesn’t ever show much emotion when it comes to that. We did take him out for his birthday and he kind of had a soppy moment. But that was really the first one he’s given himself in front of me in the last few years. It’s cool to play into that, but I do it for them regardless, the same way he’d be rooting for me if I was elsewhere. It’s just special he gets to continue this specific fandom that he’s had his whole life.

Looking at your offensive season this year, what would you point to as the biggest thing you unlocked?

PCA: I want to say it’s the stance, but it’s still changed and progressed as the year has gone on. Where I’m working from now, if I am going to make any changes, it’s a much smaller area for tweaks. I would really attribute my real start of this year to the one conversation with [Alex Bregman] about what I’m swinging at.

You got hot across May and June after that chat with Bregman, and then you sustained it for the rest of the season. Knowing that the conversation helped shorten slumps, how does that help going forward?

PCA: Well, because it’s a pretty black-and-white thing when it comes to decision-making. You’re either going to swing, or you’re not. I think what’s sustainable about it is I have the choice every pitch. And I’m going to get fooled, obviously. But I think it’s made it so much easier to execute on the ones I should be hitting. The combo of how I’m moving and what I’m looking for has been huge.

You’ve shown a lot of respect for the players who came before you here, and you’ve gotten to know Billy Williams. What does it mean to join him as the only lefty hitters in team history with a 40-homer season?

PCA: He’s just one of the coolest dudes. With him being one of the most respected people to ever put this uniform on, when you match that up with accolades and what he’s done, that’s one I’ll buy into when you guys are like, 'Hey, it’s you and Billy.' That’s really cool for me.

There has been growing MVP talk surrounding you this year. How much has that been just validation of the work and the process that it took to get you to this point?

PCA: That’s the easiest way to think about it. I don’t have the award yet, so the talks are cool. As someone who doesn’t buy into all the numbers, but has a pretty clear picture of improvement, it’s nice to fall back on those things and be like, 'I’m proud of the patience I showed myself I can have when things weren’t going well.’