A slow start and a bold change
Pete Crow Armstrong had a quiet first six weeks of the 2026 Major League Baseball season after signing a six year contract extension. His defense was great, but he batted just .238 with a .679 OPS while hitting ninth in the order. In mid May, during a matchup against the Atlanta Braves and Chris Sale, Cubs hitting coach John Mallee tried a new tactic. He told the lefty hitting player to move closer to the plate. Mallee said the player was either going to get hit or the ball was going forward. Crow Armstrong talked to former Cubs star Anthony Rizzo about getting hit by pitches to get on base more. He went 1 for 2 off Sale that day. That moment started months of strong offensive production. Mallee noted that the player narrowed down against lefties and felt more involved after moving to the leadoff spot.
Improving plate discipline
Crow Armstrong made a commitment to getting on base more months before facing Sale. As a fast player, he needed to make contact instead of chasing pitches. His chase rate in 2025 was 41.7 percent and needed to come down. Mallee challenged him to stay on the fastball and make pitchers throw three strikes with breaking stuff. Crow Armstrong took to the approach immediately. The walks started to increase, going from six passes in March and April 2025 to nine passes in the same period for 2026. The coaches also started putting pitchers into buckets by type so the player could remember his approach for different pitching styles.
Mechanical adjustments and physical work
Timing was an issue early in the season, with Crow Armstrong hitting just one home run in the first 31 days. He and Mallee decided to bring back a leg kick to get him started earlier. They also lowered his back elbow during drills. The changes worked immediately. From the Chris Sale matchup to the end of the season, Crow Armstrong slashed .294, .393, and .638 with 41 home runs, 31 stolen bases, and 70 walks. Mallee described him as athletic like a piece of clay who could make changes right away. Kyle Henmi, who has trained Crow Armstrong since 2020 at Dawg Pound Athletics, praised his intense work ethic in the gym.
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