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Pete Crowe-Armstrong The game is being viewed differently this season – thanks to a Little Leaguer.
During his three-plus seasons in the major leagues, chicago cubs The center fielder has been known to throw his bat or helmet after getting out because he wears his emotions on his sleeve. But so far this season, those outside performances have been very few and far between. And it was not a conversation with manager Craig Counsell or even an experienced teammate that caused PCA to soften his behaviour.
“This offseason, a father told me he kicked his son off his Little League team for throwing his bat and almost hitting a teammate,” Crowe-Armstrong recently told ESPN. “And the kid said, ‘But Pete does it.’
“So he got a bruise and it still hurts.”
The 24-year-old outfielder is still playing with the raw emotion that helped him become one of the most popular and productive young players in the game over the first half of last season, but he is attempting to refine his game after a second-half slump in the first few weeks of this season.
“It’s really about respecting yourself, more than anything else,” Counsell said. “It’s the belief in how good you are. You don’t need it.”
As Crowe-Armstrong said, learning to “behave like an adult” is not only about setting an example for young fans watching her every move, but also a competitive cause that was highlighted during a conversation with her Team USA WBC teammate. kyle schwarber.
“Don’t give anyone reason to feel like you need anything extra to show that you’re struggling,” Schwarber advised. “Because once you show any kind of weakness, it somehow becomes blood in the water, so people can look at it and think, ‘I beat this guy.'”
It’s all part of the learning process for a player who has been in the spotlight since being acquired in a 2021 trade deadline deal with the Cubs. New York Mets for fan favorite javier baez.
“I’ve noticed that if I stay in the game and can handle my game properly like an adult, the game progresses faster,” he said. “I have less time to dwell on what went wrong. And I find the dugout is better for it when I’m not making it obvious that I’m angry.”
The Cubs are at their best when they’re getting the most out of the player they signed a six-year, $115 million contract earlier this spring. But Crowe-Armstrong has now posted just a .567 OPS in his last 75 games dating back to August 1, leaving fans in Chicago wondering when the MVP-level PCA they saw at the start of last season will reappear. But there are signs it could happen soon.
This weekend, the Cubs head to Los Angeles and are hoping a matchup against the defending champions in their hometown can get Crowe-Armstrong just as excited as it did last April.
He was hitting .211 with no home runs and a .549 OPS in the series. los angeles dodgers Before finding his power stroke with two home runs in the finale – including a game-winning three-run blast. By the end of the month, he had six home runs and an .840 OPS as well as 12 stolen bases. “PCA” became a household nickname.
“I think my first hit in that series was [infielder] miguel rojas,” Crowe-Armstrong recalled with a smile. “So I guess I can probably thank him for pushing me.”
The months that followed revealed just how hot Crowe-Armstrong can be when things are going right. He earned his first All-Star starting honors by hitting 25 home runs and 27 stolen bases in the Midsummer Classic.
Despite his good second half, he joined Sammy Sosa as the only Cubs in the 30/30 club and posted a 5.4 FanGraphs WAR, thanks in large part to his defense and baserunning, which never wavers.
“That’s probably how Pete goes,” Counsell said. “It’s going to be a little hot and cold. That’s OK. What’s not hot and cold is how he plays center field and how he runs the bases. He’s as good as anybody in the world.”
While the same issues that hampered Crowe-Armstrong at the end of last season have dragged his production down again this month, there are signs that his next hot stretch is just around the corner. His chase rate, which was an MLB-worst 52% at the start of the season, has dropped to 45.6%.
The Cubs hope that knowing he can contribute in other ways, even if he’s struggling at the plate, can take some of the pressure off Crowe-Armstrong, as well as being part of a deep lineup that ranks fourth in runs despite its starting woes.
“I feel like I’m getting a chance to sneak in there, especially after I got off to a little slow start in terms of putting the ball in the air,” Crowe-Armstrong said. “It’s given me a lot of peace and it’s allowed me to be really patient.”
The rest of the Cubs’ hitters are also adept at something that will likely never be a big part of Crowe-Armstrong’s game: drawing walks. In fact, despite only getting five balls from Crowe-Armstrong so far, Chicago ranks fifth among the majors in balls allowed this season.
“It’s not really my job to do that here,” Crowe-Armstrong said simply. “Hopefully those guys will walk so I can get somebody in or at least put the ball in play.
“It’s really just a touch point for me, like being cool with being extra quick and knowing that my eyes are good enough to avoid the strain—.”
The Cubs wouldn’t mind seeing Crowe-Armstrong take free passes every now and again, but they also don’t want to see him try to be something he’s not. An improvement in salary increase would be fine with his team.
“Let’s assume a 10% walk rate,” Counsell said. “If you wanted that today it would crush Pete Crowe-Armstrong. We’re just trying to improve.”
His 5.0% walk rate so far this season is already an improvement from last season’s 4.5% mark and the Cubs are also encouraged by his recent at-bats against left-handed pitchers. Last weekend, he tripled off New York Mets lefty David Peterson and then earned a close 3-2 lead against the southpaw reliever. shaun manea.
“That was a moment I talked to him about because that was a significant at-bat moment,” Counsell said of the walk. “He stuck his nose in there and did a good job and didn’t lose discipline.”
Perhaps collecting those moments will help Crowe-Armstrong put everything together soon. Or maybe Los Angeles will again become the elixir for him, with the family and friends he needs to pull the trigger. If not, he will take a breath and slowly walk back to the dugout.
At least, that’s the plan.
“I think it’s about holding myself accountable and that’s what people have asked of me this year,” Crowe-Armstrong said. “I don’t want to diminish what’s good in this situation.”
