Pete Crow-Armstrong aging like fine Ryne — can he sustain it?

It's always fun to watch a touted player blossom like Pete Crow-Armstrong is doing for the Cubs this season. Ryne Sandberg, like Crow-Armstrong the key acquisition in a trade for a productive shortstop (Ivan DeJesus in 1982), was hitting .225 in April of 1984 — with a .263 career batting average and modest-at-best .676 OPS through 1,474 plate appearances (hardly a small sample size), when it seemed to click for him.

Sandberg hit .354 with 28 extra-base hits in his next 49 games (a .573 slugging/.969 OPS — and then had the "Sandberg game" against the Cardinals that catapulted him to the National League MVP award that season. His confidence as player trying to to live up to high expectations — and getting it — was palpable.

Seeing a heralded prospect meet expectations is a beautiful thing. Players like Crow-Armstrong — a former first-round draft pick acquired for Javy Baez as a key part of the Cubs' rebuild — are often the watched pot that never boils, seemingly dragged down by the weight of expectations on the big stage, if not in the minor leagues.

Like Ryne Sandberg in 1984, Pete Crow-Armstrong has turned a modest start offensively into early MVP candidacy.

But that's what makes Crow-Armstrong's ascent even more significant. On April 12 (a day after a report that he had turned down a $75 million contract offer from the Cubs), PCA was hitting .197 with no home runs and five RBIs. At that point, his career batting average was .223 with a modest-at-best .633 OPS through 502 plate appearances. Despite his exceptional speed and defense and occasional power, Crow-Armstrong had to hit to be a foundation piece worth $75-million-plus and it wasn't happening.

Since then, of course, in the aftermath of the contract report and with the existing high expectations, PCA has been on a memorable tear — hitting .324 with 14 home runs, 26 extra-base hits and 40 RBIs in 35 games (a .734 slugging percentage and 1.072 OPS). He's had six RBIs in a game twice in a span of seven games. It remains to be seen if he has staying power, but few Cub prospects have come further faster than Crow-Armstrong.

And that's saying something. Since Starlin Castro in 2010, the Cubs have had a run of prospects from the minor-league system who have become productive big-leaguers — many of them part of the 2016 World Series team: Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Baez, Willson Contreras, Albert Almora.

None of them had to dig themselves out of the hole that Crow-Armstrong has. Through 500 plate appearances Rizzo was hitting .247 with a .731 OPS. Bryant was at .265/.850. All except Baez (.227/.663) were significantly ahead of where PCA was on April 12. Ian Happ (.248/.812 through his first 500 PAs) and Nico Hoerner (.275/,698) have continued the trend since 2016. That Crow-Armstrong has climbed the biggest hill is a credit to his mental toughness and — presumably — the Cubs coaching/developmental staff.

How long will it last? How far will it go? That's unpredictable. Many of those previous success stories notably were unable to sustain their production — a big reason why the Cubs have faltered since winning the World Series. The Cubs' player-development record is choppy like most teams. Ryne Sandberg a generation ago just kept on going once he cracked the code. Crow-Armstrong is more likely to have to figure it out again when the league responds to his recent success. But even if that scenario ensues, he'll face that challenge with even more confidence. And Cub fans will, too.

Here's a look at the recent Cubs prospects after 500 plate appearances:

PLAYER	BATTING AVG.	OPS
Starlin Castro	.298	.746
Anthony Rizzo	.247	.731
Kris Bryant	.265	.850
Jorge Soler	.268	.757
Kyle Schwarber	.212	.763
Javier Baez	.227	.663
Addison Russell	.237	.685
Willson Contreras	.248	.793
Albert Almora	.294	.784
Ian Happ	.248	.812
Nico Hoerner	.275	.698
Pete Crow-Armstrong	.224	.636