Tucker, PCA to start All-Star Game in outfield together

CHICAGO -- The Cubs expected that they were getting an MVP-caliber player when they acquired right fielder Kyle Tucker over the offseason to help transform the offense. What Chicago did not anticipate was center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong emerging so quickly as one of the elite all-around talents in the game as well.

Given the way Tucker and Crow-Armstrong have served as catalysts for the Cubs’ climb to the top of the National League Central, it seems fitting that they have both been voted to be in the Senior Cirtcuit’s starting lineup for the 95th All-Star Game in Atlanta. They will be joined in the outfield by Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr.

“I’d be silly to sugarcoat it. It’s obviously one of the cooler accomplishments thus far in my playing career,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I’m very appreciative right now and excited to go home and kind of sit with all this.”

Cubs manager Craig Counsell informed Tucker and Crow-Armstrong that they were voted into the All-Star starting lineup in a team meeting prior to Wednesday’s 5-4 win over the Guardians. The manager described Crow-Armstrong as “humbled” by his first career nod, especially given that it happened via the fans.

Counsell also enjoyed the fact that Tucker and Crow-Armstrong showed how contrasting personalities can still find their way into the spotlight.

“That’s what’s cool,” Counsell said. “There is no one makeup or approach to the game that means you’re going to be a good player. You can do it in a very different way. Essentially, it means you have to authentically be yourself.”

The veteran Tucker -- now a four-time All-Star, but a starter for the first time -- is a calm, collected player who steadily offers masterful plate discipline, along with consistent power and speed. The 23-year-old Crow-Armstrong is a high-energy player who is one of the game’s top defenders, an elite baserunner and has shown surprising power.

In Wednesday’s victory, the Cubs’ All-Star duo combined for three hits and they each stole a base. Crow-Armstrong flashed his speed with a run-scoring triple in the fourth inning, capping off a three-run outburst that swung the night’s momentum. Seiya Suzuki -- an All-Star hopeful (reserves and pitchers will be announced Sunday) -- had three RBIs in the win, giving him an MLB-leading 73 on the year.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the other Cubbies get chosen as well,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I’m just really glad that the world of baseball has noticed our play.”

While the Cubs have had 10 sets of outfield teammates make the All-Star team in the same year (11 occurrences), this is the first time a duo from the North Siders were in the starting lineup since 1936 (Frank Demaree and Augie Galan). Dexter Fowler (2016) was the last Cubs outfielder voted into the lineup, but did not play due to injury. That makes Kosuke Fukudome (2008) the last Cubs outfielder to play in an All-Star Game as an outfield starter.

Tucker and Crow-Armstrong are the first Cubs teammates (regardless of position) to be in the same All-Star starting lineup since 2019 (Javier Báez and Willson Contreras).

“It’ll be a lot of fun,” Tucker said of being in the All-Star outfield with Crow-Armstrong. “I’ve played alongside him all year and know how good of a player he is. And I think a lot of fans around the world are really getting to see that. He’ll put it on full display.”

Tucker and Crow-Armstrong both had 4.0 fWAR entering Wednesday, putting them in a tie for sixth in the Majors and second in the NL behind fellow All-Star Shohei Ohtani (4.4) of the Dodgers. Tucker and Crow-Armstrong were also two of just four players in the Majors to boast at least 15 home runs and 20 steals, alongside Oneil Cruz (Pirates) and Elly De La Cruz (Reds).

In 85 games, Tucker has hit .290/.393/.530 in his first season with the Cubs, ranking sixth in MLB and fourth in the NL among qualified hitters in OPS (.923). The right fielder has 17 homers, 18 doubles, four triples, 52 RBIs, 63 runs scored, 21 stolen bases and more walks (54) than strikeouts (52).

“It’s just been a joy to watch him play baseball,” Counsell said. “There were tremendous expectations. It’s a new place. It’s a contract year in a new place. And he’s exceeded expectations.”

The same goes for Crow-Armstrong, who started the season in the lower-third of the lineup, but has spent recent weeks occupying the cleanup spot for the Cubs. Along the way to the heart of the order, the center fielder became the fastest player in team history to reach at least 20 homers and 20 steals in a season.

On the season, Crow-Armstrong has 21 homers with 26 stolen bases, along with 20 doubles, four triples, 64 RBIs, 60 runs scored and an .847 OPS through 85 games. Per Statcast, he was also tied for the NL lead with a +12 Fielding Run Value and tied for the third-most Outs Above Average (12) in the Majors.

“The All-Star Game is an awesome stage for him, for the Cubs, for his brand,” said Jed Hoyer, Cubs president of baseball operations. “He certainly -- with the way he’s played for the first 80-something games -- he absolutely deserves to be standing in center field at the start of the game.”