Pete Crow-Armstrong Joins Exclusive MLB Club With 40/40 Season, Makes Cubs History

Welcome to the history books, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The soon-to-be National League MVP became the first Chicago Cubs player and seventh player of all time to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season on Thursday. He walked in his first at-bat and wasted no time, stealing his 40th base of the year on the very next pitch:

Crow-Armstrong joined one of the most exclusive lists in baseball history that is populated by some of the all-time legends of the game.

Jose Canseco became the first to reach the 40/40 club but was later joined by icons such as Barry Bonds and Shohei Ohtani in the following years. It is also something that has happened more recently of late, as the Cubs center fielder became the third player to do so in the last four years.

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. did so in 2023 before Ohtani accomplished as much in 2024.

As for Crow-Armstrong, he's a primary reason the Cubs are in playoff position despite so many injuries to their pitching staff. With 45 homers, he is the only player on the team to reach the 30 mark. And with 40 steals, he is the only Cub with more than 22 swiped bags.

He has led the way for an offense that is first in the league in runs scored but is also arguably the best defensive player in the league.

In fact, Crow-Armstrong has a fielding run value of 27, per Baseball Savant, which is the best mark in baseball. St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Wetherholt is the only other player in the league at better than 17 with a total of 23.

Chicago's postseason potential will likely come down to whether the pitching staff can exceed expectations in the face of so many injuries to Cade Horton, Justin Steele and Ben Brown, among others.

But as long as Crow-Armstrong is in the lineup, the team has an opportunity to defeat any opponent with his combination of power, speed and fielding. 

If nothing else, he will be taking home the National League MVP as a result of his incredible season.