Latest news with #PeteCrowArmstrong
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How Pete Crow-Armstrong is built for the next level of stardom
The 99th percentile outcome is happening right now for Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Chicago Cubs. Unlocking the center fielder's power potential, to go with his speed and defense, is turning him into one of the sport's most dynamic players. As the son of a Hollywood family, he also seems right out of central casting, an engaging star to power a first-place team and the Wrigley Field machine. Advertisement What happens next will be a big storyline, how Crow-Armstrong continues to make adjustments to his game and responds to the endurance test of a 162-game season. He also will have to handle the next level of fame. 'Pete's built for this,' Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner told The Athletic on the 'North Side Territory' podcast. 'He's always believed in himself. He's always known that this is the type of player he would be. And it's just the rest of us that are just catching up now.' Crow-Armstrong's barrage of home runs continued during Wednesday night's 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies at the Friendly Confines, where the Cubs swept a three-game series against the worst team in baseball. Crow-Armstrong's 15th homer landed in the patio area in the right-field bleachers, giving him 50 RBIs before the end of May. With a total team effort, the Cubs are already 14 games above .500, but one player in particular always seems to be in the middle of the action. Crow-Armstrong is young and confident, but he is not an overnight success. His evolution required alterations to his left-handed swing, learning how to channel his emotions, and even a few wake-up calls. Some of these early lessons involved Banner, who previously worked with Crow-Armstrong as the executive director of player development for the New York Mets. Banner oversaw New York's farm system when the Mets onboarded Crow-Armstrong, their first-round pick in the 2020 draft. 'It's the first day of instructional league,' Banner recalled. 'We have maybe 50 or 60 players in. And I remember we get towards the end of COVID testing, I was like, 'Hey, is everyone done? We get everyone in?' 'Well, yeah, we got everyone in. But there's one person missing.' Crow-Armstrong was never going to fly under the radar. Within baseball circles, he was a widely known amateur prospect from his extensive time with Team USA and at Harvard-Westlake School, a powerhouse program in Los Angeles. Advertisement 'We sent someone back over to the hotel,' Banner said. 'We were calling him and weren't getting any answers. Someone eventually banged on his door. You know how it is when you're younger, you can sleep all through the morning. He definitely overslept. 'It was the first day. He's just basically coming out of high school. It wasn't a huge thing. But I do remember telling him: 'Hey, this can't happen anymore. You're a professional now.' ' In hindsight, Crow-Armstrong described that moment as 'the best blessing in disguise.' 'We got to know each other kind of from the jump,' Crow-Armstrong said, mentioning Banner by name as part of the support systems in two organizations that encouraged him to play with a sense of freedom. 'People have just given me the green light to go be myself, and kind of without question. I'm grateful for that, because it's probably a different story if I am getting held back. But never once.' we interrupt your wednesday evening with a PCA home run. enjoy! — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 29, 2025 During that brief overlap with the Mets — Banner joined the Cubs in December 2020 — he caught glimpses of Crow-Armstrong's true personality and raw talents. Seeing Crow-Armstrong run down fly balls in center field and smash pitches with eye-popping exit velocity added texture to the evaluation, which would be filed away for later. As a Cubs executive, Banner shared his insights with president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer before the club made the Javier Báez deal at the 2021 trade deadline. Crow-Armstrong was sidelined for almost that entire season while recovering from surgery on his right shoulder. If Crow-Armstrong had been healthy at that time, Banner said, 'it's hard to imagine' the Mets would have traded him to Chicago. 'Sometimes players can get out of sight, out of mind, a little bit, when they get hurt,' Banner said. 'Obviously, they hadn't seen him play much. But it's hard to speak to what they were thinking at the time, because I know they really liked PCA as well. It probably had a little bit more to do with they were in first place at the time, they really needed an infielder, and they wanted Javy Báez, who was a great player in his own right. They chose to take a chance and make that deal.' Advertisement The Cubs initially pushed for pitching prospect Matt Allan, who was recovering from Tommy John surgery at that time. After a series of injury setbacks, Allan just recently returned to game action, going six years in between A-ball appearances. The Cubs settled on Crow-Armstrong, whose formal professional experience to that point amounted to six games at Class-A St. Lucie in May 2021. 'We had a lot of questions, and rightfully so,' Banner said. 'We hadn't seen him play in a while. Who knows the status of the shoulder at the time? But ultimately we decided there was so much talent there that it was worth the risk.' Crow-Armstrong arrived at a time when the organization was trying to establish a new Cubs Way, overhauling many aspects of the baseball operations department, trying to find the next generation to replace the icons from the 2016 World Series team. 'Pete has a great growth mindset,' Banner said. 'When he got to us, he was open to changing his swing. Now this is before he even played a game for us. He was working with (hitting instructors) Rachel Folden and Steven Pollakov down in Arizona. He made some pretty significant changes to his swing, which is not something most players are willing to do prior to failing. 'They've had so much success their whole life doing things a certain way, and they need to make sure, oftentimes, that it doesn't work anymore first before doing anything. Pete was so hungry to grow and get better.' That inner drive is harder to see than the spectacular plays that go viral on social media. But it is very much part of the 'PCA' experience. 'Pete's a unique personality,' Banner said. 'As an organization, our player development staff did a great job letting him be himself. He plays the game with an edge. He's a competitor. He gets excited about things. And he should. We're all happy to watch him. He's fun to watch.'
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Crow-Armstrong homers and Boyd pitches Cubs to 2-1 win over Rockies
CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 15th home run, Matthew Boyd tossed six innings of four-hit ball and the Chicago Cubs edged the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win. Seiya Suzuki doubled in a run and rookie Matt Shaw had two hits for the NL Central leaders, who have won 10 of 12. Boyd (5-2) allowed just an unearned run while striking out eight and walking none. Three relievers followed, with Daniel Palencia pitching a perfect ninth for his fourth save. Tyler Freeman had a sacrifice fly for the Rockies, who lost their fifth straight and fell to 9-47 — the worst record in the majors. Orlando Arcia, who signed with Colorado earlier in the day, singled in his first two at-bats with his new team. Arcia was released by Atlanta on Sunday after batting .194 in 14 games with the Braves. Tanner Gordon (1-2) permitted two runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings for the Rockies. Boyd retired 13 of his first 14 batters. Arcia singled leading off the third. Chicago jumped ahead 1-0 in the first on Suzuki's double to the left-center wall. Crow-Armstrong made it 2-0 in the fourth when he golfed a low curveball down the right-field line. Boyd got through a shaky sixth and exited ahead 2-1. Chicago led 2-0 when Mickey Moniak led off with a single. Jordan Beck followed with a drive to left that Ian Happ caught at the wall. Moniak advanced to third on Boyd's wild pickoff attempt and scored on Freeman's sac fly, caught by Crow-Armstrong against the center-field wall. Shaw is 13 for 34 (.382) since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa on May 20. Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-7, 5.86 ERA) faces Mets LHP David Peterson (3-2, 2.79) on Friday in New York. The Cubs host Cincinnati on Friday. Neither team had announced a scheduled starter. ___ AP MLB:
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Crow-Armstrong homers and Boyd pitches Cubs to win over Rockies
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 15th home run, Matthew Boyd tossed six innings of four-hit ball and the Chicago Cubs edged the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win. Seiya Suzuki doubled in a run and rookie Matt Shaw had two hits for the NL Central leaders, who have won 10 of 12. Boyd (5-2) allowed just an unearned run while striking out eight and walking none. Three relievers followed, with Daniel Palencia pitching a perfect ninth for his fourth save. Tyler Freeman had a sacrifice fly for the Rockies, who lost their fifth straight and fell to 9-47 — the worst record in the majors. Orlando Arcia, who signed with Colorado earlier in the day, singled in his first two at-bats with his new team. Arcia was released by Atlanta on Sunday after batting .194 in 14 games with the Braves. Tanner Gordon (1-2) permitted two runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings for the Rockies. Boyd retired 13 of his first 14 batters. Arcia singled leading off the third. Chicago jumped ahead 1-0 in the first on Suzuki's double to the left-center wall. Crow-Armstrong made it 2-0 in the fourth when he golfed a low curveball down the right-field line. Key moment Boyd got through a shaky sixth and exited ahead 2-1. Chicago led 2-0 when Mickey Moniak led off with a single. Jordan Beck followed with a drive to left that Ian Happ caught at the wall. Moniak advanced to third on Boyd's wild pickoff attempt and scored on Freeman's sac fly, caught by Crow-Armstrong against the center-field wall. Key stat Shaw is 13 for 34 (.382) since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa on May 20. Up next Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-7, 5.86 ERA) faces Mets LHP David Peterson (3-2, 2.79) on Friday in New York. The Cubs host Cincinnati on Friday. Neither team had announced a scheduled starter.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Crow-Armstrong homers and Boyd pitches Cubs to 2-1 win over Rockies
CHICAGO (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 15th home run, Matthew Boyd tossed six innings of four-hit ball and the Chicago Cubs edged the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win. Seiya Suzuki doubled in a run and rookie Matt Shaw had two hits for the NL Central leaders, who have won 10 of 12. Boyd (5-2) allowed just an unearned run while striking out eight and walking none. Three relievers followed, with Daniel Palencia pitching a perfect ninth for his fourth save. Tyler Freeman had a sacrifice fly for the Rockies, who lost their fifth straight and fell to 9-47 — the worst record in the majors. Orlando Arcia, who signed with Colorado earlier in the day, singled in his first two at-bats with his new team. Arcia was released by Atlanta on Sunday after batting .194 in 14 games with the Braves. Tanner Gordon (1-2) permitted two runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings for the Rockies. Boyd retired 13 of his first 14 batters. Arcia singled leading off the third. Chicago jumped ahead 1-0 in the first on Suzuki's double to the left-center wall. Crow-Armstrong made it 2-0 in the fourth when he golfed a low curveball down the right-field line. Key moment Boyd got through a shaky sixth and exited ahead 2-1. Chicago led 2-0 when Mickey Moniak led off with a single. Jordan Beck followed with a drive to left that Ian Happ caught at the wall. Moniak advanced to third on Boyd's wild pickoff attempt and scored on Freeman's sac fly, caught by Crow-Armstrong against the center-field wall. Key stat Shaw is 13 for 34 (.382) since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa on May 20. Up next Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-7, 5.86 ERA) faces Mets LHP David Peterson (3-2, 2.79) on Friday in New York. The Cubs host Cincinnati on Friday. Neither team had announced a scheduled starter. ___ AP MLB:
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Cubs Willing To Get Back To The Table With Pete Crow-Armstrong
While the acquisition of Kyle Tucker was the dominant storyline entering the season, the play of second-year center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has done more to help the Cubs to a 34-21 start, which through Tuesday was tied with the Dodgers and Mets for the second-best record in the National League. Crow-Armstrong has been arguably the most complete player in the majors over the first two months of the season. He's hitting .280 with 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases while also delivering +8 Defensive Runs Saved. The two most used calculations of WAR both credit him for more impact than Tucker, who is having a strong season of his own (.285-12-39 with 15 stolen bases). Baseball Reference's algorithm a 2.9-2.1 edge over Tucker in WAR; Fangraphs has it 3.0-2.4. The biggest difference between the two, of course, is salary. The 23-year-old Armstrong is earning $771,000 while Tucker, at 28 and in his last year before free agency, is at $16.5 million. It's possible Tucker's next contract will approach, if not exceed, $500 million. Baseball's twin engines of arbitration and free agency will stop Crow-Armstrong from realizing his market value until 3031, when Tucker is in the sixth season of his next deal, but recent reports suggest he may have his own nine-figure deal before this season ends. The Cubs have managed Crow-Armstrong brilliantly since acquiring him from the Mets in the Javier Baez trade. The 2020 first-rounder played 240 games in the minors, honing his talents, before arriving at Wrigley Field to stay last April. He made a 13-game cameo in 2023 and played 123 games last season, giving him 170 days service time entering 2025. That's two days short of what's considered a full season, essentially giving the Cubs a seventh full season of control. Crow-Armstrong is guaranteed of being in the Super 2 class of arbitration-eligible players after 2026, meaning he'll be able to use that economic tool four times if he isn't signed to a multi-year contract. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has Super 2 status, has earned $70 million from Toronto for four arbitration seasons. Juan Soto ($31 million) and Shohei Ohtani ($30 million) settled on the two biggest salaries in their final seasons in arbitration. The Cubs are hoping to get some cost certainty with Crow-Armstrong. They did that with Anthony Rizzo (seven years, $41 million in 2013) while going year-to-year with Baez and Kris Bryant. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has acknowledged having attempted to negotiate a long-term deal with Crow-Armstrong during spring training. He told the Athletic's Patrick Mooney the team is prepared to re-enter talks whenever Crow-Armstrong's representatives, Creative Artists Agency, is ready. 'Not talking during the season, to me, that's a player-focused thing,' Hoyer said on Tuesday. 'I'm not playing. I've got time to negotiation if they want.' The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported the Cubs offered Crow-Armstrong a guarantee in the range of $60-70 million in March before talks were tabled. He said the Cubs have indicated they are willing to increase that offer if Crow-Armstrong wants to return to the table. San Diego center fielder Jackson Merrill signed a nine-year, $135-million contract extension at the start of this season, setting a record for a non-arbitration player. Merrill was second to Paul Skenes in Rookie of the Year voting in 2024, racking up 5.3 f-WAR with 24 home runs, 90 RBI, 16 stolen bases and +0 DRS. Merrill had one full season of service time when he signed his deal, putting him one year closer to free agency than Crow-Armstrong at this point. The Cubs would love to keep Tucker and Crow-Armstrong alongside each other through 3030, if not beyond. But all indications point to Tucker's desire to let the free agent market determine his value next fall, when the Cubs will have to bid against baseball's biggest spenders.
