The basketball shot that led to a new uniform number for PCA

MESA, Ariz. -- Pete Crow-Armstrong was on the back patio at the Cubs’ complex earlier this spring, shooting hoops with Dansby Swanson and Nicky Lopez to kill a few minutes. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer stopped by, picked up a basketball and had an idea.

Hoyer had seen enough of No. 52 on Crow-Armstrong’s back. The team’s front-office leader joked that it was “a lineman’s number” and said it was time for the Cubs' center fielder to have a “fast guy” digit on his jersey.

“He was just kind of talking smack,” Crow-Armstrong said with a laugh. “He said if he makes a shot, I’ve got to change it. I was like, ‘That’s fun. Why not? Let’s do it.’”

Hoyer took aim and sunk the shot from about 12 feet away.

“I probably should’ve pushed him back,” Crow-Armstrong quipped.

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Crow-Armstrong officially debuted his new number on Friday, taking the field at Sloan Park with No. 4 beneath his name. If there were any concerns about a jersey jinx, the fleet-footed outfielder put that to rest by slashing a pitch into the left-center gap and racing into second with a double in his second at-bat against the Dodgers.

The number switch was not a big deal for Crow-Armstrong, but there is something symbolic about donning a digit more fitting of a big leaguer. After a year of developing in Chicago -- with ample runway to navigate struggles before finding his footing -- Crow-Armstrong is a key piece to this North Side squad aiming for October.

And empowering Crow-Armstrong to be fully himself on and off the field plays into him realizing his potential.

“Ultimately, you try to do that with everybody. I think that’s how your best self comes out,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “There’s still learning that goes on, and I expect Pete to get better at things, too. But why would you want to change Pete? … That’s a beautiful kid. I love being around him.”

Between his aggressive style of play, easy-going personality and history of testing out some eye-popping hairstyles, Crow-Armstrong has become a favorite among Cubs fans. On that last front, he one-upped last spring’s all-blue hairdo by showing up to camp this year with bleached hair featuring large bright blue stars.

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner cracked a smile when asked about the look.

“I think it looks great,” Hoerner said. “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. All that energy and excitement that you see is the same energy he pours into us as teammates and into winning games.

“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. That’s everything you can ask for from a teammate, and that’s all that really matters.”

Crow-Armstrong’s mom saw those comments from Hoerner and sent them her son’s way.

“She shared that with me,” he said. “I’m just glad that I’ve shown my teammates and gained and earned their trust to be able to do things like that, and not take away from what really matters. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to go catch baseballs in center field and produce offensively as best I can. I appreciated that from him when I heard that.”

Counsell described Crow-Armstrong as finding a way to exude confidence without it coming across as cocky.

“Pete’s got a great way of showing you a little bit of both,” said the manager. “But he probably lives on the confident side.”

Crow-Armstrong -- who will turn 23 years old on March 25 -- was given ample time to build that confidence as a big leaguer last year.

In his first 66 games with the Cubs, the center fielder hit just .180 and carried an 0-for-20 slump into a July 27 game against the Royals. That day, he tripled and turned a sharp corner the rest of the way. Over his final 57 games from that point, the rookie hit .289/.336/.469 with seven homers, eight doubles, three triples, 30 RBIs and 35 runs.

“Pete’s still going to go through ups and downs,” Counsell said. “There's no question, it's easy to get excited about Pete's talent. And we know he has the ability to do everything on a baseball field. It's just not going to come overnight.”