{"id":469808,"date":"2026-02-15T08:40:40","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T08:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/469808\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T08:40:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T08:40:40","slug":"chicago-cubs-cf-aims-for-consistency-at-plate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/469808\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Cubs CF aims for consistency at plate"},"content":{"rendered":"

MESA, Ariz. \u2014 Pete Crow-Armstrong knows he can be a more consistent hitter.<\/p>\n

For as many memorable moments Crow-Armstrong delivered at the plate last year, the Chicago Cubs center fielder is still not pleased by the offensive downturn he experienced in the final two months. The extremes between the first half \u2014 an All-Star Game-worthy<\/a> 21 doubles, 25 home runs, 27 steals and an .847 OPS \u2014 and the second half \u2014 a .216\/.262\/.372 slash line and .634 OPS \u2014 have Crow-Armstrong eager to show the first four months are a truer reflection of who he is as a big-league hitter.<\/p>\n

How lefty Shota Imanaga and the Chicago Cubs are planning to tweak his arsenal for a bounce-back season<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Teammate Nico Hoerner<\/a> helped Crow-Armstrong put his career-best season into perspective by noting how he would feel if the numbers he produced were flipped.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look back at the year and you\u2019re disappointed by hitting 30 homers and stealing 30 bags and hitting 37 (doubles), like, I am, but if I hit six homers in the first half versus the second half, and I hit 25 homers in the second half, I\u2019m probably pretty freaking happy,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said. \u201cSo it doesn\u2019t matter how I do it. I did what I did last year. It\u2019s just about doing more of it the next year. I don\u2019t know how it\u2019s going to happen. Don\u2019t know how it\u2019s going to play out, but it\u2019s about the work I put in now, and that\u2019s fun to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crow-Armstrong dug in to the why behind the massive inconsistency in hopes of identifying, and correcting, the issue that contributed to such a vast gap in production level. He sat down with assistant hitting coach John Mallee and assistant director of major-league development Ben Martin to figure out how to attack the offseason with necessary adjustments. As they went through video and various graphics, they noticed his setup in the batter\u2019s box got out of whack during the stretches during which he had struggled. That, in turn, would affect his swing and trigger mechanical issues.<\/p>\n

Crow-Armstrong focused on his batting stance extensively over the offseason to correct that inconsistency. It remains a focal point this spring.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve literally just tried working on getting in the box the exact same way every swing I take this offseason and really mastering and perfecting my setup so I don\u2019t have to worry about a new stance and a different feel here and a different feel there when July rolls around \u2014 and I shouldn\u2019t be worrying about those kind of things anyways,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said.<\/p>\n

Crow-Armstrong\u2019s stance became a slightly too wide over the final two months, forcing him to cover more area leading to more miss-hit balls while limiting the adaptability within his swing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to do what he did last year earlier and get back to those shorter movements, less head movement, less forward advancement in the stride, and it\u2019s been really good,\u201d Mallee told the Tribune on Saturday. \u201cIt\u2019s his intent too. When he\u2019s doing it right, he\u2019s in the right stance, he can hold his back side so as he advances forward, he doesn\u2019t accelerate. When he\u2019s in trouble, he gets off of it, and it just pushes him out and makes the ball speed up. His decisions got worse, and he had more in-zone whiff than normal.<\/p>\n

Mallee is entering his fourth season working with Crow-Armstrong, dating to their time together at Triple-A Iowa in 2023 when Mallee was the hitting coach. Growth on the mental side is just as important to the 23-year-old\u2019s offensive development.<\/p>\n

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Cubs starter Shota Imanaga warms up during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs reliever Jack Neely throws during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs manager Craig Counsell walks to the batting cages during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki and starter Shota Imanaga stretch during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs manager Craig Counsell observes during a spring training baseball Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs manager Craig Counsell smiles during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs reliever Jack Neely stretches during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs reliever Hoby Milner throws during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs starter Shota Imanaga throws during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs pitcher Jack Neely throws during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs reliever Hoby Milner throws during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki hits during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki hits during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga throws during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cub reliever Daniel Palencia throws during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia throws during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner hits during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs manager Craig Counsell signs autographs during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki flips his bat during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Cubs President Jed Hoyer, left, and general manager Carter Hawkins address the media at a news conference on the first day of spring training Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Meghan Montemurro\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

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Cubs starter Shota Imanaga warms up during a spring training workout Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Morry Gash\/AP)<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m most proud of his maturity,\u201d Mallee said. \u201cThat sixth tool is going to make him either a great or just a good player. It\u2019s being able to control his emotions and get into the next pitch and those type of things. I\u2019m most proud of him for that and just watching him grow up in front of my eyes, it\u2019s like watching your son grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Development often isn\u2019t linear, and every big-leaguer is searching for consistency, shortening the gap between the peaks and valleys within their performance. Manager Craig Counsell merely wants to see Crow-Armstrong continue to develop this year. He knows Crow-Armstrong is vocal about his desire to chase less and seek out damage in the zone. But Counsell isn\u2019t picky with what another offensive step forward looks like for Crow-Armstrong, who understands his strengths and weaknesses as a hitter.<\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019s unfinished business\u2019: Chicago Cubs open camp with high expectations \u2014 and embrace the challenge<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that I chase, I know that I can get away with hitting bad balls and doing damage on bad balls, but there is no consistency there really, it\u2019s very sporadic,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said. \u201cThe swing, we\u2019ve kind of ironed that out. It\u2019s not the most perfect thing in the world, but the steps we\u2019ve taken with the swing over the last three-plus years has been incredible, and I\u2019m very proud of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can just repeat and repeat and repeat, and if I can really stay in my box physically and not stride forward like you saw me do a little bit, it\u2019ll get better. You\u2019ll see more of what we saw in the first half. That\u2019s how I feel about it. It\u2019s about just being more stingy and really freaking detailed in my work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crow-Armstrong\u2019s self-assessment didn\u2019t stop there, though. He expressed displeasure at last year\u2019s on-base percentage (.287) and 59.5% swing rate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s no fun, I had a lot more fun when I was playing well,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said. \u201cAnd when I was playing well, I was keeping the ball in the middle of the plate, and I was able to do damage there. So there\u2019s a bunch of things I need to do to make myself a more well-rounded offensive asset.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another stellar all-around season from Crow-Armstrong would go a long way in helping the Cubs get back to the postseason and put them on track to make a deeper run in October. No matter how his offense trends this season, Crow-Armstrong was adamant that playing Gold Glove-level defense<\/a> again in center field remains his No. 1 job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope I (expletive) come out to play when I should, when I\u2019m supposed to, when it\u2019s needed and not freaking crumble when we\u2019re playing playoff baseball,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said. \u201cHowever the year shapes out, it\u2019s going to shape out. Like, no one year is going to be the same. So approaching it in that way, if I\u2019m shooting for consistency and I find it great. If not, my job is to still to go out and play Gold Glove defense. \u2026 At the end of the day, I\u2019m here to play defense.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MESA, Ariz. \u2014 Pete Crow-Armstrong knows he can be a more consistent hitter. For as many memorable moments…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469809,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[218242,479,47319,218241,140676,363,25922,4261,99,63077],"class_list":{"0":"post-469808","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-ben-martin","9":"tag-chicago-cubs","10":"tag-craig-counsell","11":"tag-john-mallee","12":"tag-mesa","13":"tag-mlb","14":"tag-nico-hoerner","15":"tag-pete-crow-armstrong","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-spring-training"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}