Through the first 15 games of the 2025 season, Pete Crow-Armstrong was batting just .211 and had yet to homer in 64 plate appearances.
A little more than two months later, the Chicago Cubs outfielder has belted 14 home runs, raised his average to .280 and surpassed Shohei Ohtani as the league-leader in fWAR.
On the field, the conversation around Crow-Armstrong has shifted from slow start to MVP candidate, and collector sentiment has shifted with it.
With more than 5,400 sales logged by third-party data tool Market Movers, PCA has been the third-best seller among all baseball players over the last 30 days, trailing only Ohtani and Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.
Pete Crow-Armstrong isn't just a threat to steal bases...
— cllct (@cllctMedia) May 6, 2025
He's swiping his teammates' bats too ???? pic.twitter.com/Ttps1ZCRva
Over that timeframe, Crow-Armstrong has had more cards sell than Elly De La Cruz, Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. He even has amassed more than Corbin Carroll and Mike Trout combined.
When that timeline is shortened to 14 days, Crow-Armstrong moves into a virtual tie with Ohtani at 2,900 sales, and he takes the lead among all baseball players over the last seven days with more than 1,700 sales.
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Among everyday collectors, Crow-Armstrong has been one of the most popular players in the hobby over the last month.
But there’s also been a change at the high end of his market — a 2020 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Autograph Red Refractor /5 BGS 9.5 sold for $35,400 earlier this month to set a record for any Crow-Armstrong card at public auction.
Prior to that sale, the record for Crow-Armstrong was the $10,099 paid in October 2024. There have now been four sales above that since the start of the regular season, according to data tool Card Ladder.
The best could also be yet to come for Crow-Armstrong’s high-end market, with a number of key cards yet to sell since his breakout. Should Crow-Armstrong continue to battle for an MVP award, expect some of his key Superfractor 1/1s to resurface with high-end marketplaces.
Then there’s his Rookie Debut Patch Autograph, which was pulled in November 2024 but has yet to surface at public auction. There have already been six debut patch autographs for other players that have sold for more than Crow-Armstrong’s public record, and it’s fair to assume his debut patch would be a record-setter if or when it ever hits the auction block.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.