(670 The Score) Cubs manager Craig Counsell shared praise for 22-year-old center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s maturation at the plate in recent weeks.
Crow-Armstrong is riding a career-best six-game hitting streak, during which he has gone 7-of-20. In an interview on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Friday, Counsell pinpointed what the difference is in his mind.
“He’s been very aggressive, but he’s been very aggressive in the strike zone,” Counsell said. “He’s going to chase still, he’s going to swing a lot still, but if he can lower the chase and just focus in the strike zone with the swings, then we see that works. It’s hard to be a really good hitter when you swing outside the strike zone a lot.”
Crow-Armstrong is hitting .205 with three homers, 23 RBIs and a .578 OPS in 78 games for the season, but he has been better in recent weeks. He has hit .295 with a .766 OPS in the past 15 days.
“He’ll continue to be a work in progress, but getting him at-bats is the best way to help him get better,” Counsell said.