Worth crowing about: Crow-Armstrong brings a swagger Cubs sorely lacked
If the Cubs had asked a conglomerate of artificial intelligence to create a player able to lift them out of the post-championship doldrums, there's no chance it would have produced a better fit than Pete Crow-Armstrong.
More than just his offensive stats, defensive talent or baserunning, Crow-Armstrong brings an attitude the Cubs have sorely needed. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer acknowledged this recently.
“We have a really serious, focused group, and (Crow-Armstrong) is very serious and focused,” Hoyer said. “But he brings like an edge and a flair that I think some of the guys don't, and I think it fits this team really well.”
There are plenty of words to describe PCA's style. Emotional or passionate can fit, but there's also clearly a cockiness about him that seems suited to baseball, with its sporadic flashes of highlight plays.
“I don't think about it,” Crow-Armstrong said after a stellar series against the White Sox last weekend. “The game just brings whatever out of me that comes out.
“I've played this game the same way my whole life, and that is with a lot of love. I think some people may perceive that as cockiness, and I am very confident in myself and my abilities, but that's just what it is. I just move the same way.”
During the winter, I remember telling someone the sooner PCA takes control of the clubhouse, the better off the Cubs will be. The thought there was the process might take a couple of years, not two months into the season. But here we are.
Cubs fans have been well aware of this team's chill demeanor. The Council of Calm sits in a row near the entrance of the Wrigley Field clubhouse — Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki, from left to right. Cody Bellinger fit the mold when he was here.
All are good guys and solid teammates. They possess slightly different personalities. Swanson is most likely to make a religious reference during interviews, Hoerner more apt to tell a joke. Happ has the charisma to host a popular podcast, but can be withdrawn when things aren't going well.
Last year, when the Cubs went into a May-June swoon when they couldn't score runs, or even going back to the last losing season in 2022, this team seemed to get really down on itself. The clubhouse was dead and dreary after losses.
Granted, teams aren't supposed to celebrate losses, but this group seemed to get especially mopey during tough times.
Adding talent to the room helps. Kyle Tucker might be quietest guy on the roster by a wide margin, but his presence in the lineup has been felt.
While Crow-Armstrong's star power has risen quickly, it feels like the Cubs veterans have gladly let him lead the way. He's said former Cub Javy Baez was one of his favorite players growing up and it shows.
“It's an energy that he has,” teammate Justin Turner said. “He has all the tools, he can help us win games in so many ways and the energy is just off the charts. I think guys feed off it.”
A few weeks ago, Crow-Armstrong talked about how the Cubs have always let him be himself since his debut on Sept. 11, 2023. He said he wasn't talking about teammates allowing him to be demonstrative on the field or anything like that, but just providing runway for him to work his way into the major leagues.
PCA wasn't holding back the passion when he first arrived, there just wasn't much success worth celebrating. He finally started to find a groove in the second half of last season and has soared into serious MVP consideration this year.
“Nothing about this (stuff) is planned,” Crow-Armstrong said. “You have those moments where you don't really think about how you react to a double or triple or anything like that.
“I think baseball brings it out of all of us. It's about the sport. It's about the competition and wanting to win so badly every day.”