Cubs' irritant Pete Crow-Armstrong will give Reds fans a new villain to hate

The Cincinnati Reds will open a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday night at Great American Ball Park. While it has a chance to be a momentous series in terms of the NL Central standings, Reds fans will also be introduced to the newest villain. Pete Crow-Armstrong is ready to take up the mantle that so many NL Central foes have carried in the past.

Players like Yadier Molina, Javier Baez, Ryan Braun, and Adam Wainwright are some of the most recent examples of opposing players who Reds fans absolutely despised. Molina's actions toward Brandon Phillips in 2010 sparked a ferocious brawl between the Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals. Baez's constant chirping and feud with Amir Garrett always caught the ire of Reds fans. Braun utterly dominated Cincinnati while with the Milwaukee Brewers, and Wainwright was just a giant crybaby.

But get ready, Reds fans. Crow-Armstong, or PCA as the Cubs' fans like to call him, will soon join this list of hated NL Central rivals. His brash attitude, goofy haircut, and his overall skillset is going to make him a nightmare for the Reds for years to come.

Move over Yadier Molina, Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong will give Reds fans a new villain to hate

Rivalries in sports are not a bad thing; in fact, they've been severely lacking in recent years. MLB put together Rivalry Weekend and slotted the Reds against the Cleveland Guardians. Manufactured rivalries like that hardly ever move the needle. If Rob Manfred was serious about Rivalry Weekend, Cincinnati would've squared off against the Cubs or Cardinals, or at the very least, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Reds' lack of success during their rebuild has caused many of their rivalries to lose steam. Cincinnati fans haven't really had a chief rival since Baez, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo left Chicago in 2021. Wainwright essentially needed a walker during his final few seasons in St. Louis and Molina hung on way past his expiration date. The Cardinals weren't competitive during their final few seasons together in St. Louis, and Braun has been out of the league since 2020.

But as the Reds — with Terry Francona at the helm — attempt to return to the mountain top in the NL Central, there's an obvious hurdle they must clear in order to achieve their goal. The Cubs are the best team in the division and Crow-Armstrong is their best player (though there's certainly a case to be made for Kyle Tucker as well).

PCA represents the type of player who you love if he's on your team, but you absolutely despise if he plays for the opponent. With Crow-Armstrong suiting up for the enemy on Friday night at GABP, he falls into the latter category. If you haven't seen him yet, get ready to hate to Crow-Armstrong.

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