Inside the rise of Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong - ESPN

CHICAGO — One of Matt Armstrong's earliest memories of his son on an athletic field came not on a baseball diamond, but on the gridiron. When Pete Crow-Armstrong was 7, Matt was the head coach of his flag football team in Southern California. Former major league player and manager Gabe Kapler, who also had a son on the team, was Matt's assistant.

«I think he was my defensive coordinator,» Matt said.

One day after practice, Kapler was throwing a football around to some of the kids.

«There was a moment when Pete ran this crossing route, like 5 yards up, and then he cut and Gabe whipped the ball to him,» Matt said. «He extended his hands and caught it out in front of him and flew up the field. And Gabe looks at me and says, 'You know that's not normal, right?'»

Fast forward about 16 years, and Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to do things that don't seem normal — although now it's while manning center field for the Chicago Cubs and batting in the middle of one of the best lineups in Major League Baseball.

The 23-year-old also flashes speed few players possess (his 23 stolen bases rank third in baseball) while providing more power (19 home runs) than his 6-foot, 184-pound frame might suggest. He's burst onto the scene this season, helping the Cubs into first place in the National League Central. His latest heroics include an improbable diving catch to preserve a one-run lead Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers and a laser off Wrigley Field's right-field scoreboard just a few minutes later that registered at 111.5 mph off the bat. The two moments led to 38,000 fans chanting, «M-V-P! M-V-P!»

Crow-Armstrong's infectious personality is also a huge part of his appeal for a fan base starving for a star and a league always trying to