Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong Knows Where To Focus His Development
A September callup provided 22-year-old outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong with a blueprint for where he must improve to contribute in Chicago this year.
He showed glimpses of why he is one of the best prospects in baseball during his three weeks in the majors. His highlight-reel catches in center field contrasted his struggles in the batter’s box.
“It’s no secret what I didn’t handle very well last year,” Crow-Armstrong said. “On the other side of things, the way I went about my work, based on who I listened to, set me up really well to know what I’ve got to do.
“Listening to the right people in the clubhouse and using my time correctly, I think that will take all the external stresses away from whatever I’m worrying about.”
Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs know pitchers exposed him on elevated fastballs, contributing to him going 0-for-14 with seven strikeouts in 13 games. But the Cubs won’t overreact to a slow offensive start to PCA’s major league career.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer noted how former Cub Anthony Rizzo also had a rocky first MLB experience in 2011 with the Padres before a trade to Chicago.
“I still did what I was supposed to do in the sense of playing defense,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I had a blunder in Atlanta that I’m not proud of, but those are the learning experiences I feel like I was up there for last year.”
There are no guarantees Crow-Armstrong begins the season in Chicago. Some of that will depend on whether the Cubs re-sign Cody Bellinger, something PCA said he wants to see happen, even if that potentially impacts his opportunities.
Last season, Crow-Armstrong hit .283/.365/.511 with 20 home runs and 37 stolen bases in 107 games split between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. He heads into spring training focused on what he must do to improve.
“We complicate things so much as hitters and that’s because what we do is so hard,” Crow-Armstrong said. “We lose feel from time to time, but again the goal is to make that line flatter.”
