CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong, Wrigley Field’s center fielder of the future, didn’t read into the Cubs signing Cody Bellinger to a one-year deal instead of pursuing Brandon Nimmo, who returned to Steve Cohen’s Mets on a $162 million contract that runs through the 2030 season.
“Not at all,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I just get excited for what’s to come. I want to see the guys that are up there win right now.”
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It’s kind of funny whenever someone says the Cubs have an “underrated” farm system or a “sleeper” prospect, considering how many hype videos and minor-league game broadcasts the team produces for its social platforms and regional sports network. There was much hand-wringing on Cubs Twitter during the great 40-man roster crunch of 2022, concern about the players who might not sneak through waivers or the Rule 5 draft when the Cubs were effectively out of the playoff race by May. In terms of exposure, Cubs Convention featured only 13 prospects on stage for Saturday’s “Road to Wrigley” Q&A session.
It’s also apparent that Crow-Armstrong could be a huge part of “The Next Great Cubs Team,” given his personality, pedigree and potential to be a Gold Glove fixture at a premium position. Crow-Armstrong had an idea of what he was getting into when the Cubs acquired him from the Mets in the Javier Báez trade. Crow-Armstrong’s mother, Ashley Crow, is an accomplished actress who played the mom in “Little Big League.” Crow-Armstrong’s father, Matt Armstrong, grew up in Naperville, Illinois, rooting for the Cubs before going into acting and teaching. Crow-Armstrong’s high school, Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles, has produced four first-round picks in the last 11 drafts. It was still an experience to walk through the Sheraton Grand Chicago over the weekend and see so many Cubs fans and Cubs alumni.
“It’s been a blast,” Crow-Armstrong said. “It’s nice to see the history. It was nice seeing who I’m coming after, the names that we’re living out, the tradition we get to carry on, high-caliber people like Andre Dawson and Kerry Wood showing up at 8 a.m. to sign (autographs). It just says a lot about where I’m at.”
It would take a lot of breaks for Crow-Armstrong to make his Wrigley Field debut this year. His 21st birthday is in March. He’s only played one full season in professional baseball. The Cubs have a cluster of outfield prospects in the upper levels of the minor leagues and a major-league roster that could go either way at the trade deadline.
The Road to Wrigley featuring Cubs prospects, including Brennen Davis, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Matt Mervis and more at #CubsCon. https://t.co/pjPbvnOVH7
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) January 14, 2023
Crow-Armstrong so impressed team officials with his skills, maturity and ability to make adjustments that it’s reasonable to think he would start this season at Double-A Tennessee. Cubs manager David Ross wants heads-up players who trust their instincts and understand the little details within the game. Crow-Armstrong fits that vision as someone who grew up measuring himself against elite competition in Southern California and started playing for Team USA in its 12-and-under bracket.
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“I think that people are going to be surprised as to how close the Cubs actually are to being a contending team,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Rossy’s just about the best person for this job. Everybody loves playing for that guy. I love the way that I’ve seen these guys get to work. We weren’t the greatest big-league team last year, but you see them finish above .500 in the second half. That shows what the coaching staff does for the guys. It shows what kind of team they got up there right now. We’re only going to keep getting better.”
• The Cubs would have extra trade options this offseason and more momentum heading into next season if so many of their top prospects hadn’t experienced major injuries. Perhaps Brennen Davis would have been penciled in as the 2023 Opening Day center fielder if he didn’t undergo back surgery last year, a frustrating process of diagnosis and recovery that limited him to only 53 minor-league games in what was supposed to be a breakout season. When Davis didn’t feel like he could perform at full strength in the Arizona Fall League, he decided it made more sense to shut it down and focus on training for 2023.
“One hundred percent, ready to roll,” Davis said. “It’s just getting back to where I was, and where I know I can be athletically and physically.”
While the Cubs don’t have a superstar prospect, they’re also not pinning their hopes on one player to emerge this year. FanGraphs projects a top-five farm system with $305 million in future value, largely because of the number of potential contributors at the major-league level in the coming seasons, low-cost talent that should allow extra room for more splashes in free agency.
“From the top down, we’re deep,” Davis said. “We have guys that know how to win and compete their ass off. That’s what you need in a system that’s looking to compete for a pennant and a World Series. It’s fun to be a part of. I’m really privileged to be around this group of guys.”
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• Miguel Amaya texted Willson Contreras to say congratulations and good luck after the All-Star catcher signed a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the Cardinals. Contreras had guided and encouraged Amaya, who played in the All-Star Futures Game in 2018 and 2019 before a series of setbacks altered the trajectory of his career. There was the 2020 minor-league season erased by the COVID-19 pandemic, a Tommy John surgery and the Lisfranc injury that prevented him from playing in the Arizona Fall League last year.
The Cubs couldn’t build a succession plan around a catcher who has played only 63 games across the past three minor-league seasons. Yet there is still a good opportunity in front of Amaya, as long as he can stay healthy. Amaya will turn 24 during spring training and already has a spot on the 40-man roster, which features only two other catchers in Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart.
“I’m ready to start doing baseball activities now,” Amaya said. “They just gave me the green light to start jogging, to start running on the ground, to start moving, to start weightlifting. Probably in the next couple weeks, I’ll start doing my defensive work and getting back on track. I’m excited for it.”
• Before signing his four-year, $68 million contract, Jameson Taillon consulted with a group of ex-Cubs that included Scott Effross, the sidearm reliever who was surprisingly moved to the Yankees before last year’s trade deadline. It was more of an old-fashioned baseball trade than the textbook deal that swaps a short-term contract for a long-term asset. The idea wasn’t to shed a big salary and buy a lottery ticket. Hayden Wesneski went into Triple-A Iowa’s rotation and made his major-league debut last September at Wrigley Field.
In trading Effross — a homegrown reliever beloved by teammates and under club control through 2027 — the Cubs demonstrated some conviction in their ability to identify and develop pitching talent. During his time in New York, Taillon befriended Anthony Rizzo and Effross, who pitched well for the Yankees (2.13 ERA in 13 appearances) before getting shut down and ultimately needing Tommy John surgery. Taillon also heard the buzz about Wesneski’s stuff, which stood out even in a high-pressure environment and a pitching-progressive organization.
“That was one of those trades where the Yankees do a good job of developing minor-league starting pitching,” Taillon said. “They had a good bit of it. Effross came in and was pitching very important high-leverage innings for the Yankees. I felt like that was kind of a win-win. Within the Yankees, even guys in the big leagues were always talking about Wesneski’s slider, so it’s no secret that it’s kind of an outlier pitch and a special pitch. When you have a pitch like that, you can play in the big leagues for a long time.”
(Photo of Pete Crow-Armstrong: Mike Janes / Associated Press)
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