Prep talk: How Pete Crow-Armstrong became an NL MVP favorite in 2026

Pete Crow-Armstrong has burst on to the sports scene with a season for the Chicago Cubs so stunningly good that he might be the MVP in the National League.

Having played high school baseball at Harvard-Westlake, he was a 2020 first-round draft choice of the New York Mets. That was the year the pandemic cut his senior season to 10 games. Then he was traded to the Cubs in 2021.

Jared Halpert, his coach at Harvard-Westlake, has gone to Dodger Stadium to watch Crow-Armstrong play for the Cubs. He was asked how his former player could hit 41 home runs, steal 36 bases and produce viral videos of his catches in center field.

“Oh, my Lord, not from me,” Halpert said. “There’s such a unique and unaffected determination. I can only reflect on moments.”

And one moment involves Crow-Armstrong coming back to work out with Harvard-Westlake players at O’Malley Family Field.

“It’s a lose-lose situation to come back to high school and partake in competition,” Halpert said. “You’re a professional. You’re supposed to kick the high school player in the butt in anything. This kid has come back every year and unapologetically competed against everyone and didn’t care if someone beat him. That was a pretty unique experience for me. Without fear of failure and judgment, Pete would throw a glove on and compete. He was always willing to challenge anything.”

As for comments Crow-Armstrong made about the Dodgers that created an uproar from local fans, Halpert said, “He’s a kid and has so much passion in every aspect of his life. It’s unfair to put a camera on him in moments of competition and not expect him to react. It doesn’t come from a place of ill will or negativity. He’s a competitor. He’s the first one to sign an autograph and hang out with kids.”

It’s unlikely Crow-Armstrong will return to Southern California much other than on trips with the Cubs now that he’s entrenched in Chicago. His parents recently moved to the area. But those who saw him grow up in Sherman Oaks know Crow-Armstrong is a product of Southern California’s great weather and tradition for producing top baseball talent.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.