Chicago Cubs exec on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s struggles: “He’s gonna have to focus”

The Chicago Cubs, all things considered, had a pretty nice run this past season. Obviously, things could’ve ended in a better way than a Game Five elimination in the NLDS at the hands of the division rival Milwaukee Brewers. But if we’re stacking 2025 up against 2024, this season was clearly a significant upgrade.

A big part of the team’s early success this year was sophomore star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The 23-year-old “PCA” took the baseball world by storm early on in the season with a crazy rush of offense and highlight reel defensive exploits in the outfield. His youthful appearance and refreshingly enthusiastic demeanor won fans over and helped him achieve start status in his first-ever All-Star Game.

PCA’s early brilliance and late fizzle

At the break, Crow-Armstrong was well on his way to breaking some Cubs records, hitting .265 with 25 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases.

Then, things just kind of died out.

After the All-Star break, he hit .216 with only 6 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases.

Frustration bubbled over several times for the young star as he just simply could not break too far away from his offensive doldrums. In his first playoff run, he hit just .185 in eight games with no home runs and 3 RBIs.

Chicago Cubs president talks PCA’s inconsistent 2025

On Wednesday, in a season wrap-up press conference, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer talked about the inconsistency of PCA’s confounding season.

“In totality, [Crow-Armstrong] had a great year. Going 30/30 and driving in almost 100 runs,” Hoyer told reporters. “He was so good early on, and then he struggled. And this is his first full season, and that’s something I talked to Pete a lot about over the course of the year. This is the first time he has gone through an entire season.”

The veteran exec would go on to offer a possible reason for the weak second half and some hope for the coming year(s).

“There could have been some fatigue there that set in, and going forward, I think he’s gonna have to shrink his strike zone and he’s gonna have to focus on those things,” Hoyer continued. “But I think he will. He’s still 23 years old, he’s still learning. So I expect him to keep getting better and better…I have no question that he’ll continue to get better.”

Even without a raging bat, though, the young talent remains an asset and a big part of the Cubs’ future.

“I think he’s the best defensive player in baseball,” Hoyer added. “Not only did he have a huge role on our team offensively, but when you think about run prevention, he’s right there at the top of it.”

PCA’s future with the Cubs

The positive feeling on PCA was so strong heading into this season that the Cubs reportedly tried to reach an extension deal with him in early April, worth in the neighborhood of $75 million.

Crow-Armstrong turned it down, but would remain open to the idea of remaining a Cub for the rest of his playing days.

“That’s the goal,” Crow-Armstrong said in a June radio interview, referring to his desire to stay with the organization. “I think what’s important to me is being somewhere I feel convicted in winning at. And then obviously where I feel comfortable playing and living for a long period of time.

“I absolutely think that Chicago is a place to do that for me. I already take so much pride in being a Cub, and what comes with that. Any way that we can get me here for a while, I think, would be ideal.”

With the team possibly losing right fielder Kyle Tucker to free agency this offseason, the Cubs will need PCA to become a more consistent offensive presence in the lineup, one who will be able to contribute earlier in the batting order. They’d also like to have him locked up, contractually, beyond the 2030 season, when he’ll be eligible for free agency. A deal now will most definitely be an attractive budget option for the always-frugal Cubs ownership.

Make no mistake about it, Crow-Armstrong is still a work in progress as a big league talent. There’ll be no room for growing pains next season, however, as the Cubs will have greater need for him to step up as an on-field leader.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-pete-crow-armstrong-hoyer-2025