{"id":36293,"date":"2025-02-23T13:18:12","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T13:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=36293"},"modified":"2025-02-23T13:18:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T13:18:12","slug":"chicago-cubs-betting-on-pete-crow-armstrong-with-a-new-number-and-starry-hair-to-make-an-impact-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=36293","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Cubs betting on Pete Crow-Armstrong \u2014 with a new number and starry hair \u2014 to make an impact this season"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MESA, Ariz. \u2014 The back of Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong\u2019s jersey will look a little different this year.<\/p>\n

All thanks to a friendly hoops challenge.<\/p>\n

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer likes fast-guy uniform numbers \u2014 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\u2019s agility field before the Cubs\u2019 first full-squad workout Feb. 14.<\/p>\n

Hoyer proposed a friendly wager: If he made the shot, Crow-Armstrong had to change his number. Crow-Armstrong figured, \u201cWhy not?\u201d and agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like a 12-footer, I probably should have pushed him back,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said, smiling. \u201cHe sunk it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crow-Armstrong has officially switched to No. 4, which became available after the Cubs designated Alexander Canario this week, donning it in Friday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The Cubs have let Crow-Armstrong\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe plays the game with the confidence and swagger, and I think it would be easy to criticize if it didn\u2019t feel genuine, but it\u2019s who he is, it\u2019s 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,\u201d second baseman Nico Hoerner said. \u201cAnd if it was an energy that was selfish or just about social media or something stupid, then that\u2019d be one thing, but Pete\u2019s 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\u2019s everything you can ask for from the teammate, and that\u2019s all it really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crow-Armstrong\u2019s mom sent him a clip of Hoerner\u2019s comment, and he appreciated the support of his teammate and someone he looks up to.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve come to understand, too, is when you do something like that (with your hair) and you\u2019re in a position that is somewhat magnified, (the media) is going to ask, so I\u2019m just glad that I\u2019ve shown my teammates and earned their trust to be able to do things like that and not take away from what really matters,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said. \u201cBecause that\u2019s why I\u2019m here. I\u2019m here to go catch baseballs in center field and produce offensively as best as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chicago
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, left, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, second from right, and infielder Nicky Lopez laugh while watching team President Jed Hoyer shoot a basketball on the first day of full-squad workouts at spring training on Feb. 14, 2025, at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Chicago
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, left, talks with manager Craig Counsell during spring training at Sloan Park on Feb. 19, 2025, in Mesa, Ariz. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u2019s something he has seen passed down within the organization and wants the Cubs\u2019 next wave of up-and-comers to experience.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Sign up for our Cubs Insider newsletter<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s convicted in who he is and it\u2019s confidence. And you better have it to survive here, right?\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cIt\u2019s that weird thing \u2014 is it confidence? Cocky? Everybody wants confidence, but nobody wants the other one. And Pete\u2019s got a great way of showing you a little bit of both, but he probably lives on the confident side.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Photos: Cubs 7, White Sox 3 in the Cactus League<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Crow-Armstrong\u2019s stellar offensive performance over the final two months of the season provided a glimpse of what he can tap into.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to put unneeded pressure on him, but I think he\u2019s a big part of our team, like, I think our success this year a lot of it\u2019s 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,\u201d veteran pitcher Jameson Taillon told the Tribune. \u201cHonestly, for as big of a prospect as he was, I feel like he\u2019s being slept on a little. We have Happ and Tucker and Seiya and all these great outfielders and hitters \u2014 don\u2019t sleep on Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to get excited about Pete\u2019s talent, and we know he has the ability to do everything on a baseball field,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to come overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally Published:

The Chicago Cubs have let Pete Crow-Armstrong\u2019s personality shine, and the comfortability he has experienced has helped the high-upside outfielder come into his own in the majors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":36297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[282,823,992,200,624,1086],"class_list":["post-36293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-craig-counsell","tag-dansby-swanson","tag-ian-happ","tag-jed-hoyer","tag-pete-crow-armstrong"],"yoast_head":"\nChicago Cubs betting on Pete Crow-Armstrong \u2014 with a new number and starry hair \u2014 to make an impact this season - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=36293\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chicago Cubs betting on Pete Crow-Armstrong \u2014 with a new number and starry hair \u2014 to make an impact this season - 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