The basketball shot that led to a new uniform number for PCA
Jordan Bastian
@MLBastianMESA, 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.
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.¡±