In Wednesday’s Major League Baseball Draft, Vanderbilt University commit Pete Crow-Armstrong ’20 was selected by the New York Mets with the 19th overall pick in the first round. Crow-Armstrong, who plays outfield, said he feels like he is a good match with the Mets.
“[New York] is a really good fit for me personality-wise,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I think I can handle all of it and kind of build off it.”
Crow-Armstrong has long been projected to be a first-round selection. There has been a buzz surrounding him for years, with some even projecting him to go first overall. Despite these various predictions from draft pundits, Crow-Armstrong said he never paid any mind to any of them.
“I never really go in with expectations,” Crow-Armstrong said. “With drafts, there are all these projections all over the place. In the end, you don’t know better than the next guy who’s picked, or even the fans sometimes. it’s kind of all over the place. There are obviously places I was projected, there’s the little intel I have that I might go here or there. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter, and I got drafted by a great organization and get to play in a great city.”
Over the summer, Crow-Armstrong represented the United States as a member of the 18U national team at 2019 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, where Team USA placed second in the tournament. Crow-Armstrong finished with a batting average of .364 and nine runs scored in his nine games played, and was named Baseball World Cup All-World Center Fielder.
In the 10 games he played before this year’s season was shut down due to Coronavirus, Crow-Armstrong batted .515 to go along with only one strikeout in his 42 plate appearances. Reflecting on his time as a Wolverine, Crow-Armstrong said the school has helped shape him into who he is today.
“Harvard-Westlake taught me to work hard,” Crow-Armstrong said. “They taught me the little details and all that stuff that I don’t think other schools teach. I’m coming out of high school with a lot more than just my physical ability.
Crow-Armstrong is not the only Wolverine to make it to the pros, as three alumni are currently in the MLB: Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito ’12, Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried ’12 and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty ’14. Crow-Armstrong said he feels honored to follow people he truly looks up to, both as athletes and people.
“They’re incredibly successful, and incredibly successful human beings too,” Crow-Armstrong said. “For me, it’s special being able to be around those guys for the last three or four years, getting to know a couple of them really well. It’s cool I get to continue to have people to try and catch, especially trying to break the stigma that Harvard-Westlake only produces pitchers also pushes me. Guys like Lucas, Jack and Max they’re all good human beings, they’re all very vocal about current times and issues. They’re obviously inspiring, but also great role models and people to look up to. Aside from wanting to catch them and be the first position player to be better than the three pitchers, I want to join in and contribute to what they’re doing outside of baseball. It’s an honor, for sure, to follow in their footsteps. I’m lucky to be in the same profession as them now.”
Crow-Armstrong has not yet made a decision between attending college or going right to the minor leagues, though he says that’s a larger conversation that will happen as he negotiates a contract. If he were to sign with the Mets organization, he said he’d likely begin on either the Met’s Rookie League or Class-A affiliates.
