Pete Crow-Armstrong understands the attention he receives as soon as he is on base.
His speed and quickness make him an ideal base stealer, and that’s no secret to any team playing the Chicago Cubs. When Crow-Armstrong is on with the next base open, the opposing pitcher and catcher are on high alert that the 22-year-old rookie is likely on the move.
“The mindset, it’s a very specific focus and I’ve taken it as another weapon,” Crow-Armstrong told the Tribune. “The work that we put in — times, tips, whatever it is — it makes for a confident trip out to first. Getting thrown out has helped me more than the ones that were safe because I’ve gotten away with some this year, but I’m set up well to get away with some just because of the attitude in moving forward.
“The conviction in stealing second base, you’ve got to have it to do it.”
Crow-Armstrong has played a starring role in the Cubs’ efforts to swipe bags. He’s the only player in the majors with at least 15 stolen-base attempts without getting caught. He hasn’t been the only Cubs baserunner on the move. Five players have at least seven steals: Crow-Armstrong with 15, Nico Hoerner with 14 and Christopher Morel, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki with seven each.
Hoerner, who is coming off a career-high 43 steals in 2023, has been impressed by Crow-Armstrong’s ability to affect the game with his legs. Hoerner credited the rookie for being able to pull off a successful steal even when entering a game late as a pinch runner with the other team knowing he will be on the move.
The Cubs haven’t been afraid to try to steal third base, either, with their 12 successful steals of third ranking fourth in the majors.
“We don’t have a ton of guys who are crazy fast, but we also don’t have many guys who will limit us on the bases,” Hoerner told the Tribune. “We have a lot of guys in that middle ground when there is opportunity, you can seize it, and I think we’ve done a nice job of that.”
The Cubs stole 36 bases in June, their most in a month since they tallied 37 in August 1990, while ranking third in the majors in stolen-base percentage (87.8%). At one point from late May into June, they recorded 34 consecutive stolen bases, the franchise’s longest streak since at least 1912.
“We have a lot of guys that are not bad runners — I don’t think I’m slow, but I like to fly under the radar,” Happ told the Tribune. “The efficiency is a testament to not only the instincts of the player but the coaching staff and the work behind the scenes.”
That efficiency has appeared after they stole only eight bases in the first 29 games, the lowest total in the majors. Manager Craig Counsell believes the Cubs have been opportunistic and are doing a good job of finding chances to run.
“We’ve got 162 games and the other team’s going to beat us in some categories once in a while, but you can’t just quit on them or say that you’re not going to do it,” Counsell said. “Some success allows you to be a little more aggressive with it and some confidence in what we’re seeing.”
First base coach Mike Napoli has played an important role in the Cubs running game. In his third season in the position, Napoli’s relationships with the hitters has produced trust from both sides, which is key to buying into the information he conveys to each baserunner.
“I’m proud of Mike in that category,” Counsell said, “because when you start out and it doesn’t go well, the confidence and the courage to keep throwing the information and the conviction out there that this is a read we have or this is an opportunity that you can go, you’ve got to trust it. That’s really what the first base coach is doing is trust what you see, trust the read that we have.
“When it doesn’t start out well, that’s harder to keep saying it, but we kept at it and that’s why we’re at where we’re at.”
Napoli lets the hitters know he won’t be perfect, but the daily work he puts in pregame doesn’t go unnoticed by players. He is constantly reviewing video and the opposing pitchers’ tendencies and deliveries, as well as going over any notes he has taken over the last three years.
As an on-field extension of the manager, part of Napoli’s process this year has been learning Counsell and how he wants the baserunning approach to look. Napoli thinks he was a little more conservative in April because of that feeling-out process. That has evolved, though, and Counsell has given Napoli the freedom to try to take advantage of those ideal spots.
Some teams will present more chances to steal bases, like when the Cubs tallied six steals in one game against the New York Mets on May 2 at Citi Field.
“Guys have got to accept sometimes we’re going to be wrong, but we’ve gotten into a groove to where we’re really confident right now in what we’re doing and what we’re seeing and just trusting the process,” Napoli told the Tribune. “Some teams that know when we’re coming in that we do that kind of stuff, they’re on alert. So just trying to pick really good spots.
“Those guys are buying into that, and I’m trying to push it all the time to be aggressive.”
The Cubs’ inconsistent scoring adds to the need to advance runners into scoring position without relying on a hit. They don’t want to become too predictable, though, and always want to strike a balance between identifying chances and not being overaggressive to put base stealers in a bad position.
“The more ways that you’re able to produce runs, the more consistent you can be in scoring them, and obviously you want three-run homers and things like that,” Hoerner said. “But when there’s an opportunity to score without crushing the ball, that’s incredibly valuable, especially when Wrigley can play so many different types of ways offensively. It’s just more tools for us.”
