{"id":3920,"date":"2026-02-14T02:14:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T02:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3920"},"modified":"2026-02-14T02:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T02:14:20","slug":"what-pete-crow-armstrong-can-learn-from-cubs-and-team-usa-teammate-alex-bregman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3920","title":{"rendered":"What Pete Crow-Armstrong can learn from Cubs and Team USA teammate Alex Bregman"},"content":{"rendered":"


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MESA, Ariz. \u2014 New Cubs<\/a> third baseman Alex Bregman knows his swing is at its best when he is stingy with his pitch selection and makes contact out in front. Those keys unlocked what he called the best 1\u00bd-month offensive stretch of his life last season before a strained quad in late May broke his rhythm.<\/p>\n

The same things are focuses for Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, especially disciplined swing decisions. That has dominated most of their hitting conversations so far.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018I think the sky\u2019s the limit for him,\u2019\u2019 Bregman said of Crow-Armstrong. \u2018\u2018I feel like he can do anything on a baseball field: running the bases, defensively, offensively. And I feel like the more he refines his game, he\u2019s just going to continue to get better and better.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Bregman joined the Cubs with an already-glowing reputation for his leadership skills<\/a>. The examples keep stacking up.<\/p>\n

Bregman was in the coaches\u2019 room earlier this week, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said, asking about what his teammates were working on and how he could reinforce those cues. During the offseason, young infielder Matt Shaw joined Bregman at his facility in Arizona to hit.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018It\u2019s rare to have a player that\u2019s invested in helping make young guys better,\u2019\u2019 Hoyer said. \u2018\u2018And you\u2019ll see it in various ways, but it\u2019s a wonderful quality that he has. It\u2019s something people with the Astros talk about and people with the Red Sox talk about, and it\u2019s something he\u2019s earned.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Bregman is expected to make an impact on the Cubs all season. But because of the World Baseball Classic schedule this spring, there\u2019s one young position player he\u2019ll be around more than any other.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018I\u2019m really excited to spend some serious time with him,\u2019\u2019 Crow-Armstrong said of Bregman, who will join him on Team USA. \u2018\u2018The guy is super-enthusiastic about the intricacies of the game. And I\u2019ve loved hearing him share his experiences in the past. And I think he\u2019s going to make me and the whole squad just a whole lot better.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Bregman and Crow-Armstrong were early arrivals in camp. And though Bregman left the complex Thursday with an illness, he was back Friday.<\/p>\n

The two have about two more weeks left with the Cubs before joining Team USA for WBC play. It will be Crow-Armstrong\u2019s first WBC and Bregman\u2019s second.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Bregman was the youngest player on Team USA\u2019s squad, turning 23 about a week after the team beat Puerto Rico in the final. The next time around, in 2023, Bregman couldn\u2019t participate after breaking a finger in the World Series several months before.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018I didn\u2019t get to play that much [in 2017], but I got to experience it,\u2019\u2019 Bregman said. \u2018\u2018And I\u2019ve been looking forward to this since then.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Bregman can pass lessons from that early experience to the 23-year-old Crow-Armstrong, but the two will have more time for general baseball conversations, too. Pitch selection is sure to continue to be a topic between them.<\/p>\n

Bregman\u2019s elite chase rate put him in the 95th percentile in that category last season. Crow-Armstrong, meanwhile, is well aware that he\u2019s a free swinger and that improving his command of the strike zone is an avenue to take his offensive game to a new level.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018It\u2019s not the first time Pete\u2019s talked about pitch selection,\u2019\u2019 Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Crow-Armstrong\u2019s conversations with Bregman. \u2018\u2018But, kind of like pitch grips, how it clicks for you and how you see it and how it resonates and how you process it, it\u2019s different for everybody.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The more conversations Crow-Armstrong has with coaches or teammates who excel in that area, the more chances he will create to have that \u2018\u2018aha\u2019\u2019 moment.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018The way Alex approaches it, he\u2019s been successful, and it\u2019s been successful for other players, as well,\u2019\u2019 Counsell said. \u2018\u2018So of course we\u2019re all going to listen to that.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

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Miller will miss most or all of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

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