MLB All-Star game: Pete Crow-Armstrong, the most electrifying newcomer in the baseball, remains calm and comfortable, even if the lights are lightest

Atlanta – When the central field player of the Cubs tore to his position on July 3, he noticed no differently than noticing the 19 shirtless fans who screamed his name.

Right above the legendary Wrigley Field Ivy roared a chain of high schools from Suburban Chicago in response to the arrival of her favorite player. They also came with a silent, albeit unmistakable message. Decorated on the blue color on the chest: Pete Crow-Armstrong. Seventeen letters on seventeen canvases. A child had an talent front to display the space between Pete and Crow. The hyphen did it 19.

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According to Taylor McGregor Taylor McGregor, Cubs Sideline, the Pals fought passionately about who the dashboard had to be. After a long negotiation, the hyphen was awarded to the fastest member of the group, a young person who was only identified as “ribs”.

During her interview, a routine flying ball in Crow-Armstrong's glove landed lazy: “Pete, Pete, Pete”. Crow-Armstrong, cool like an Icelandic cucumber, nodded to recognition before he went back to his position.

The absurd spectacle was another memorable moment in a emphatic breakout season for the 23-year-old, who starts in the all-star game on Tuesday in the center of the National League. When the Cubs have a strong advance on their first post-season appearance since 2020, Crow-Armstrong, as the main character, turned out to be decisive for the team's impressive offensive, its run prevention unit and the newly busy atmosphere on the north side of Chicago. In a team full of remarkable characters and productive players, he is the reason why they turn on the television.

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PCA sounded 25 Homeruns and 27 bags in 95 games, whereby he is only the third player in MLB history with 25/25 before the All-Star break. He was even more exciting on the field and published the best defensive metrics of every outfield of the big league. In total, Crow-Armstrong has 4.9 fangraphs war. After this metric, only Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh were more valuable in 2025.

But Crow-Armstrong is much, much more than its statistical edition. His aspiring superstar is also a product of his magnetic personality. PCA is the epitome of California with a dash of Gen-Z, a wonderfully easy to deal with and effortlessly funny guys. He is a hand shaken, a naming rander, a questionnaire. He seems to float through life as if he is floating over a ball field – the kind of person who wants to be nearby.

The coordination for this All-Star game confirmed its newly discovered popularity.

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After the first round of the fan vote, Crow-Armstrong led all the National League outfield with a total number of 3,021,265, which took the sixth division. The only players in front of PCA were judges Raleigh and a trio from Los Angeles Dodgers (Shoei Ohtani, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman).

During the all-star celebrations in Atlanta, Crow-Armstrong was a hot goods. In the field at pre-derby striking practice, it was raved about the media, reporters, celebrities, retired players and various lookie looses. He is particularly worshiped by young people who feel attracted to his energetic game and his zipped Vibe – the favorite player of her favorite player.

“Pete understands it. I think that's the coolest thing really gets it,” said teammate and roommate Matt Boyd on Monday. “It's not too big for him. You can say that he really hugges the stage.”

And the stage includes him.

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The 23-year-old Dynamo is wonderful to enjoy. He jumps like a jackrabbit on a trampoline over the diamond. On the base paths he is a highlight role that is waiting to pass, a speed demon with a high baseball -iq that is ready and strives to push the envelope. At the court, where he has made the greatest, most important progress, Crow-Armstrong has become a legitimate offensive power and an impressive strength threat.

But where PCA shines the brightest, there is in the middle of the field. His defensive heroic deeds are exciting. It makes the difficult routine, the impossible appearance sensational. In the grass it is an charged Roomba that is able to grab almost every fighting ball that comes in his way. This aspect of PCAS game brought him to the card as an amateur, and at that time old concern about whether he would grow to a sensible power with a large league.

Under all the exuberant energy, Crow-Armstrong's ability to stay calm and grounded was a crucial part of his ascent. This process begins at the moment he watches and continues until it steps on the plate.

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“I did a little differently this year,” he said to Yahoo Sports during the availability of All-Star media. “I took over more control over how I want to look my days. I think that really contributes to it.”

Crow-Armstrong lovingly referred to Thich Nhat Hanh, a world-famous Vietnamese monk, as the “father of mindfulness”. While most players try to pump up before and during the games, Crow-Armstrong follows a different approach and opts for slow playback lists and walk-in songs that keep him calm.

“I bring a lot of energy into a game that it doesn't always need. I think it is important for me to center myself,” he said in April 2024 to Genius when he explained why he was “Sun is shiny”.

“He has this perfect mix of how he believes in his skills, but he is grateful in where he is,” said Boyd.

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This sense of gratitude for Krähe-Armstrong seems to be due to its constant pursuit of simplicity. In many ways, his life has become hectic, complicated and uncontrollable. But in the dark script on the outside of his right forearm, PCA has a tattoo that serves as a daily roadmap.

“Stay near everything that makes you happy that you are alive,” it says. The quote is attributed to Hafez, a Persian poet from the 14th century.

Like many of his colleagues, Crow Armstrong is looking for an emotional balance forever. Playing every day requires a certain, sophisticated approach, an internal calm. This also applies to a flash like crow-arm strong, which reminds that contagious, unrestricted joy can escape with grounded calm.

But when the lights are lightest, it becomes alive. Crow-Armstrong plays as if he were happy to be alive-and everyone who watches him feels the same way.