MESA, Ariz. — The back of Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s jersey will look a little different this year.
All thanks to a friendly hoops challenge.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer likes fast-guy uniform numbers — the single digits that look sleek on the back of speedsters like Crow-Armstrong. So the football lineman-esque No. 52 Crow-Armstrong sported during his 2024 rookie season inspired the smack talk from Hoyer while the 22-year-old shot hoops with Dansby Swanson and Nicky Lopez next to the complex’s agility field before the Cubs’ first full-squad workout Feb. 14.
Hoyer proposed a friendly wager: If he made the shot, Crow-Armstrong had to change his number. Crow-Armstrong figured, “Why not?” and agreed.
“It was like a 12-footer, I probably should have pushed him back,” Crow-Armstrong said, smiling. “He sunk it.”
Crow-Armstrong has officially switched to No. 4, which became available after the Cubs designated Alexander Canario this week, donning it in Friday’s Cactus League home opener. The number change accompanies the new-look blue stars on his bleached hair, an encore to the dyed blue hair he wore in big-league camp last year.
The Cubs have let Crow-Armstrong’s personality shine, and that comfortability he has experienced from teammates and the organization in allowing him to be himself has helped the high-upside outfielder come into his own in the majors.
“He plays the game with the confidence and swagger, and I think it would be easy to criticize if it didn’t feel genuine, but it’s who he is, it’s how he lives his life, and all that energy and excitement you see is the same energy he pours into us as teammates and into winning games,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “And if it was an energy that was selfish or just about social media or something stupid, then that’d be one thing, but Pete’s here every day for the group and for all of us and he has fun and he plays the game hard and he plays to win, and it’s everything you can ask for from the teammate, and that’s all it really matters.”
Crow-Armstrong’s mom sent him a clip of Hoerner’s comment, and he appreciated the support of his teammate and someone he looks up to.
“What I’ve come to understand, too, is when you do something like that (with your hair) and you’re in a position that is somewhat magnified, (the media) is going to ask, so I’m just glad that I’ve shown my teammates and earned their trust to be able to do things like that and not take away from what really matters,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Because that’s why I’m here. I’m here to go catch baseballs in center field and produce offensively as best as I can.”
The Cubs want a culture in which young players feel comfortable as they acclimate to the clubhouse and challenges that can come with playing in the big leagues. Ian Happ remembers it being that way when he first came up in 2017, telling the Tribune he had a really good group of guys who helped him out and were always taking care of him, making sure he was learning and doing all the right things. It’s something he has seen passed down within the organization and wants the Cubs’ next wave of up-and-comers to experience.
For Crow-Armstrong, his second big-league camp is more about continuing to utilize and hone the routine he developed over the course of his rookie year. Unlike last spring when he was carrying the pressure of trying to prove himself and earn a spot on the opening-day roster, Crow-Armstrong knows how he fits on this team.
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“He’s convicted in who he is and it’s confidence. And you better have it to survive here, right?” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s that weird thing — is it confidence? Cocky? Everybody wants confidence, but nobody wants the other one. And Pete’s got a great way of showing you a little bit of both, but he probably lives on the confident side.”
The Cubs feature key pieces among the expected regulars in the lineup, anchored by superstar Kyle Tucker, Happ, the now longest-tenured Cub, Swanson and Seiya Suzuki, who is expected to fill their designated-hitter role regularly. They will need players to take steps forward, too, if the offensive group is going to produce at the level needed to get them into the postseason.
Photos: Cubs 7, White Sox 3 in the Cactus League
Crow-Armstrong’s stellar offensive performance over the final two months of the season provided a glimpse of what he can tap into.
“I don’t want to put unneeded pressure on him, but I think he’s a big part of our team, like, I think our success this year a lot of it’s going to fall on him: a full year of his defense and a full year of his game-changing speed on the bases, a full year of, hopefully, the offense we saw in the second half, that could be a really big deal for this team,” veteran pitcher Jameson Taillon told the Tribune. “Honestly, for as big of a prospect as he was, I feel like he’s being slept on a little. We have Happ and Tucker and Seiya and all these great outfielders and hitters — don’t sleep on Pete.”
Like any major-leaguer, the ups and downs will inherently be part of the season for Crow-Armstrong. Becoming more consistent and shrinking the lengths of the slumps is the next step as he has a chance to develop into a great player.
“It’s easy to get excited about Pete’s talent, and we know he has the ability to do everything on a baseball field,” Counsell said. “It’s not going to come overnight.”
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