Crow-Armstrong leads MLB in five year-over-year plate-discipline shifts

His walk rate has jumped from 4.5% to 11.7%.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated Aug 301 min read

Pete Crow-Armstrong has the greatest year-over-year difference (min. 300 PA) among all hitters in: - Walk % - Swing % - Via @MLBNetwork on X

What happened: Pete Crow-Armstrong has cut his swing rate 10.7 points to 49.4% and his first-pitch swing rate 14.4 points to 38.4%. His chase rate is down 7.5 points, while his zone-swing rate has fallen 13.5 points.

Why it matters: The added selectivity has paired patience with power, strengthening his NL MVP case during the stretch run. Pitchers have less freedom to expand the zone against him.

By the numbers: Through 608 plate appearances, Crow-Armstrong has 71 walks and 36 home runs. He drew 29 walks across 647 plate appearances last season.

What to watch: Watch whether the approach holds through September as pitchers adjust.

Sources

@MLBNetwork 2026-08-30T17:42:59.980597+00:00

CONVERSATION

Loading comments…

MLBAnalysisPete Crow-Armstrong

Follow MLB Intelligence

Real-time signals and analysis

@WireReportMLB

WR Pro

The day's sports, briefed to your inbox at 7am ET. Every claim sourced.

$9/month Free weekly newsletter →