At the conclusion of 2023, the Chicago Cubs had center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong as the top prospect in their system. With this status comes lofty expectations, and the Cubs decided that it was time to turn over the toughest outfield position over to the 22-year-old. However, Crow-Armstrong has gone through his fair share of growing pains in his first full season in the big leagues, as he has struggled to deliver some positive production from the plate.
But Crow-Armstrong has made plenty of strides recently. He is entering the Cubs' two-game weekend set against the Chicago White Sox with a six-game hitting streak — not too shabby for a player who's slashing a woeful .205/.249/.329 on the year. While there is always pressure for a prospect as highly-regarded as him to deliver, the 22-year-old feels the support from the Cubs franchise and that he has time on his side to turn things around.
“Personally, the weight is off my shoulders now. I think what was driving me up a wall is that I wasn't impacting anything positive either winning or losing. I was helped by the fact that the greater focus was on where we are now, keeping these wins coming,” Crow-Armstrong said, via Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs weather adversity
The Cubs currently have a 57-60 record, which has them five games out of the third wild card spot in the NL, needing to pass five teams. With 45 games to go, anything can happen; for Pete Crow-Armstrong, he is proud of how this team has handled adversity and how they have continued to battle despite going through some struggles — helping the rookie deal with his own issues at the plate.
“I want to keep doing it. I want to keep this approach and how I want to see each pitch. It has been a year that guys probably feel like they are underperforming a little bit. It has shown me that we have a lot of pros in this clubhouse who know how to get it back,” Crow-Armstrong added.
The good news is that Crow-Armstrong should have a golden opportunity to extend his hitting streak over the weekend. They'll be facing far and away the worst team in the league in the White Sox.
Even if his hitting streak will most likely come to an end soon, this confident version of Crow-Armstrong bodes well for his development as the Cubs' long-term center fielder.
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