Brewers' Murphy lauds Cubs' PCA: 'Blue-haired kid is kind of a freak'

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy was left in awe after facing the Chicago Cubs' young core, including budding star outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

"Their young guys are all at the peak of their game," Murphy said postgame Sunday after a Brewers' 4-0 victory prevented a weekend sweep, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. "The blue-haired kid is kind of a freak right now with the way that he's playing.

"The new kid with the huge feet - that kid, what a hitter. I just notice him when he's digging in the box, like, 'God, it's him.' What a hitter. Then (Ian) Happ has always been great against us, (Seiya) Suzuki is a great player, (Michael) Busch is the most underrated, (Nico) Hoerner is underrated, (Dansby) Swanson is as good a defensive shortstop as there is in the league. Their two catchers have been great. It's a great ballclub through and through."

Crow-Armstrong has gone deep nine times with 26 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, and an .867 OPS over 35 games for the NL Central-leading Cubs. The 23-year-old has accumulated the third-most fWAR (2.1) in the majors this season thanks to his strong offensive and defensive play. He ranks in the 100th percentile in outs above average, 89th in arm value, and 94th in arm strength.

The acquisition of All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker - presumably the large-footed player described by Murphy - has also played a significant role in Chicago's MLB-best run differential (plus 62). The team has scored the most runs (208) and swatted the third-most homers (52).