MESA, Ariz. – Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made sure Pete Crow-Armstrong knew he thought the speedy center fielder needed a “fast guy” jersey number. No. 52 certainly didn’t qualify.
“He was just talking s—,” Crow-Armstrong said. “In a great way. He’s really good at that. He’s good at being around us, and he’s good at the mingling portion of our days – when he could be upstairs, but he’s down here and interacting with us. And I always appreciated that about him.”
Earlier in camp, Crow-Armstrong said, he, Dansby Swanson and Nicky Lopez were shooting around on the basketball hoop on the back patio of the Cubs’ spring training complex. And Hoyer came over.
“He was talking smack about, I’m wearing a lineman’s number and all this stuff,” Crow-Armstrong said. “And he said, if he makes a shot, I’ve got to change it. And I was like, ‘That’s fun. Why not? Let’s do it.’
“It was like a 12-footer. I probably should have pushed him back.”
Hoyer sunk the shot, and Crow-Armstrong was on the hook for a number change. No. 4 became available just before Cactus League play began, when the Cubs designated Alexander Canario for assignment to make room for Justin Turner.
Before Crow-Armstrong debuted his new number Friday, his hair generated buzz on social media. Last spring, Crow-Armstrong dyed his hair blue. This year, it’s bleach blonde with blue stars.
“I think he looks great,” Hoerner said last week. “He plays the game with 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.
“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 a teammate.”
Crow-Armstrong said his mom shared those comments from Hoerner with him.
“That’s a guy that I do look up to,” Crow-Armstrong said. “… 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. 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.”
Caissie provides timeline
Outfield prospect Owen Caissie (mild to moderate left adductor strain) told the Sun-Times he expects to begin strength and mobility exercises in a couple days, but he likely won’t resume baseball activities for a couple weeks. He was injured last week and underwent an MRI Thursday.
“When I did it, I was pretty bummed,” Caissie said. “I was like, ‘Ah crap, I won’t be able to play right away, won’t be able to do [live batting practice] or anything like that.”
He also realizes the timing could have been worse.
“This is the time to do it,” he said. “Imagine doing this at the start of the season.”
Caissie is coming off an offseason sports hernia surgery. He said he first felt the injury last July 4, after beating out a chopper to first.
“I felt like my insides kind of ripped apart,” he said.
He took a couple weeks off and then played through the discomfort for the rest of the season, before undergoing surgery in October.
Shaw injury update
Third baseman Matt Shaw (left oblique) is scheduled to progress to hitting on the field and making throws during fielding practice, according to Counsell. He’d resumed hitting in the cage and playing catch earlier this week.