MESA, Ariz. – Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong made his biggest contribution Saturday with his bat, hitting a solo homer and a grand slam in a Cactus League game against the Mariners.
He treated the accomplishment like the outlier it was.
“I definitely want to take pride in eventually becoming that well-rounded player [on offense],” he said. “And I think that I’m setting myself up well to do that. But that’s the goal at the end of the day, is to go play Gold Glove defense, first and foremost, and then be able to produce wherever I’m at in the lineup.”
Crow-Armstrong’s defense was what initiated his call-up in 2023, when the Cubs were playing in spacious Coors Field. And it will continue to be the area where he can make the most consistent impact.
Another year of experience under Crow-Armstrong’s belt, plus the addition of Gold Glove right fielder Kyle Tucker, bode well for the Cubs’ outfield defense. But Crow-Armstrong’s continued development will set the bar.
“I think we have a chance defensively,” left fielder Ian Happ said, “not only in the outfield but as a group, to be one of the top teams in baseball.”
There will still be growing pains for Crow-Armstrong, who is in line to make the Opening Day roster for the first time in his career. And part of this spring was about getting to know the new guy to his left.
“You ask guys what they do, or why they do certain things,” Tucker said. “And in our outfield drills you see how they go about it and how they approach the balls off the wall, fly balls, communication stuff.”
They’ve had those anticipatory conversations. And there will still be situations throughout the year that require debriefing.
“He’s been vocal about letting me do my thing out there,” Crow-Armstrong said. “But I’ve also tried responding with, let’s still play some real baseball. I don’t have to catch everything. One of the more important things in my job is being able to give way to those guys.”
In the Cubs’ primary lineup, Crow-Armstrong will be bordered by two Gold Glovers – “That’s pretty cool in itself,” he said. And while the priority goes to the center fielder, it’s also his responsibility to recognize when his teammate may have the better play on the ball.
“I’ve come a long way,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Last year, I felt the pressure to go be at every spot – and that’s just not the case. You don’t have to do that. You don’t need to be backing every play up that’s a high fly ball that a big-leaguer catches nine times out of 10.”
Crow-Armstrong said he saw the most defensive personal growth last year in his throwing decisions. Crow-Armstrong adjusted to better, smarter, more experienced baserunners. And he learned that third-base coaches will make base decisions on the way an outfielder approaches the play, before he touches the ball.
“Knowing that I have more time out there than I thought probably was the biggest little bit of knowledge I actually took with me last year,” Crow-Armstriong said. “And I got to see results with that.”
It was a topic he went over with Happ, whose outfield assists were the centerpiece of his third Gold Glove campaign.
“At this level, you’re not always trying to make the hero play,” Happ said, “because the hero play can lead to some issues.”
Sometimes hitting the cutoff is better than trying to throw out the runner going to third, for example. Because if that throw fails, then there are runners on second and third instead of first and third, eliminating a double play opportunity.
“You can’t be Superman in center field,” Crow-Armstrong said. “That’s not really your job.”
So, what’s the next step for the speedy center fielder?
“Catch the ball you get your glove on,” manager Craig Counsell said.
It isn’t an easy ask for a player who can cover more ground than most. But it would raise the bar.