Pete Crow-Armstrong, DJ Herz named Midwest League All-Stars

Minor League Baseball today announced their High-A All-Star Teams for the just completed 2022 season, and two South Bend Cubs, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and left-hander DJ Herz, were honored by being named to the Midwest League team.

Crow-Armstrong was a first-round pick of the Mets in 2020 out of Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, but he was traded to the Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline for Javier Báez and Trevor Williams. After a terrific 2022 season, he is now the consensus top prospect in the Cubs system.

The 20-year-old Crow-Armstrong started the season in low-A Myrtle Beach, but was promoted to South Bend after 38 strong games with the Pelicans. He then played 63 games with South Bend and hit .287/.333/.498 with 15 doubles, 7 triples and 9 home runs. Crow-Armstrong also stole 19 bases in 26 attempts for South Bend. He scored 50 runs and drove in 34.

Herz, 21, was the Cubs’ 8th-round pick in 2019 from Sanford High School in Fayetteville, NC. He started the year in South Bend and was practically un-hittable the entire time he was there. Herz made 17 starts for the Cubs and went 2-2 with a 2.26 ERA over 63.2 innings. He struck out 99 batters, walked 37 and held opposing hitters to a .150 batting average. That earned him a promotion to Double-A Tennessee where things did not go very well, as Herz posted an ERA of 8.24 over nine starts. But this award is based on what Herz did in South Bend, and the honor was very deserving.

Edit: I missed it because I was naturally focused on South Bend and the Midwest League, but Cubs’ right-hander Ben Brown was also named to the South Atlantic League All-Star Team. Brown earned this award though his play with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws when he was in the Phillies organization.

Brown, 23, was drafted in the 33rd round by the Phillies in 2017 out of Ward Melville HS in East Setauket, NY. He came to the Cubs at the trade deadline in the David Robertson deal. With Jersey Shore, Brown pitched 73 innings in 16 starts and one relief appearance. Brown went 3-5 with a 3.08 ERA. He struck out 105 batters and walked just 23 while holding opposing hitters to a .197 batting average. Brown pitched for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies after the trade to the Cubs where he was 3-0 with a 4.08 ERA in 7 starts. In 31 Double-A innings, Brown struck out 44 and walked just 13.

The All-Star teams are decided by a vote of the managers in each league.

Here is the press release announcing all the All-Star teams.

MiLB Anounces 2022 High Class-A League All-Star Teams and Award Winners.pdf