The Chicago Cubs are on a run for the ages right now, with one of the best offenses in the league that ranks first in most runs scored (277). They have been a dynamic force, and a headache for opposing pitchers across the league. The best part? A large majority of this success can be attributed to the amazing play of their center fielder, and current lead-off hitter, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is a freak!

He’s the fastest kid alive! #RivalryWeekend pic.twitter.com/AoHNmQu45I

— MLB (@MLB) May 17, 2025

PCA, for those of you who are unaware, has been an ELECTRIC FACTORY ever since the start of the season. Through his first 48 games played; the Sherman Oaks product has put up an OUTSTANDING .282/.317/.569 slash-line, to go along with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs. He has also swiped 14 bags this season as well, showing that his speed around the base-paths is one of the VERY BEST in the league today.

The man is an absolute FIEND, and a young star who the Cubs need to lock down as SOON as possible. But the question that’s on everyone’s mind is……what does this surge mean for Ian Happ when he returns? Will (better yet, CAN) he take his spot in the order back, and move Pete down the order? Or should Craig Counsell keep the reigns in the 23-year old’s hands?

The short answer? Well when you look at the sample size that we have……it’s obvious that Craig should stick with Pete at the top of the order. It’s obvious that he should leave the reigns in the kid’s hands, and drop Happ down a few spots. You should always go with the hot hand (or bat) in these situations, and no one could be HOTTER than PCA right now.

Just think about it; through 34 at-bats at the lead-off spot, PCA has an ASTOUNDING .353/.361/.765 slash-line, to go along with three home runs and 11 RBIs. Happ’s numbers, on the other hand……are not so astounding. Even though he has over six times the amount of at-bats at lead-off compared to PCA, he’s still only slashing .269/.364/.381 with three home runs and 19 RBIs.

It is like night and day with these two. I love the ‘Happster,’ don’t get me wrong. But it would be a big mistake for Counsell to put him back in the one-hole again when he comes back. If anything, he should be dropped to sixth or seventh, where he will replace Moises Ballesteros for when he is eventually sent back to the minors.

It’s an interesting situation to be in, but it’s a situation nonetheless. Hopefully the Cubs make the correct decision. But in the end, as always….what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.