PCA looks to fashion successful Cubs career after Báez shows the way

CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong may have grown up in Southern California, but he followed the Cubs closely as a kid. He considered Javier Báez one of his favorite players due to his electrifying style of play, but Crow-Armstrong was not alone in his family.

“My grandma loved him,” Crow-Armstrong said with a smile prior to Thursday afternoon’s 10-2 win over the Tigers in the rubber game at Wrigley Field.

All those years ago, Crow-Armstrong could not have guessed that his own baseball journey would intersect with Báez in such a meaningful way for the Cubs. The North Siders dealt their star shortstop to the Mets at the Trade Deadline in 2021 in exchange for Crow-Armstrong, trading a core player for a prized prospect.

Now the center fielder for the Cubs, the 22-year-old Crow-Armstrong witnessed how the North Sider faithful have responded to Báez’s first trip back to Wrigley Field since that deal. Detroit’s now veteran shortstop – even amid a dramatic career downturn in the batter’s box — received a rousing ovation on Tuesday, and plenty of adoring cheers throughout the series.

A young player like Crow-Armstrong, who hopes to help the Cubs reach similar heights as the group Báez helped anchor, appreciated seeing the former Chicago star get his recognition.

“To me, it feels like he’s never left. His jerseys are still littered around this place,” said Crow-Armstrong, who logged a two-run double in the win. “From the fans to the people [in the clubhouse], people loved him. There was a little reminiscing going on the day he came back.

“I just love that for him, because I hope he knows what people like me saw when he was playing here.”

Veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks is now the lone member of the 2016 Cubs team that hoisted the World Series trophy. The position-player core group — Báez, along with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras — were all shed across the ‘21-22 years as the front office tried to expedite a rebuild and construct a new core.

Lefty Justin Steele — a homegrown arm who has developed into a rotation leader — is very much a part of that picture. On Thursday, he limited Detroit to two runs with 10 strikeouts over seven frames. Catcher Miguel Amaya, who was once a highly-touted prospect, is navigating his first full MLB season. He belted his first career grand slam and had five RBIs in the win.

Crow-Armstrong is very much a core piece as the Cubs’ regular center fielder, and there is a line of prospects marching up the ladder and knocking on the big league door.

“It’s not guaranteed,” Crow-Armstrong said. “But, do I believe that a lot of these guys in our system are going to give us a really good chance to win baseball games? Absolutely. It’s just a matter of when, and I’ll be waiting for my boys.”

The Cubs called Báez up to the Majors in 2014 as a 21-year-old prospect and he hit .169 with 95 strikeouts in 52 games in his initial taste of The Show. Within a few years, he was starring for the ‘16 champions and growing into a Gold Glover, All-Star and MVP contender.

“It looked like he could just roll out of bed, walk out there and go do it,” Crow-Armstrong said. “But it’s the combination of the preparation on top of what he’s naturally been blessed with. That’s what makes him so special. It just looked like he knew what he was going to do before anybody else.”

Crow-Armstrong broke into the big leagues last year and went 0-for-14 down the stretch. He then hit .180 in his first 66 games with the Cubs this season. The rookie said he had to “rediscover” his confidence, and the recent results have helped. Entering Thursday, Crow-Armstrong was batting .286/.315/.500 in his previous 22 games.

Similar to Crow-Armstrong’s description of Báez, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he believes the rookie’s recent strides are the result of preparation combined with his instincts and ability.

“It makes going home at night just easier — your consistency in your prep — when you don’t have the good nights,” Counsell said. “Ultimately, that’s where I think confidence comes from. Of course you get it from a good game. But the thing that happens every day is the consistency of preparation. And I think Pete’s in a really good place.”

And Crow-Armstrong can dream about his career with the Cubs leading to the kind of love Báez has received this week.

“That’s what a lot of us are going for at the end of the day,” Crow-Armstrong said, “to impact one place so much to where a welcome back like that feels necessary. It’s something he definitely earned. He brought a lot to this place.”