Bears News: Craig Counsell impressed by Pete-Crow Armstrong: "He can do everything"

Tony Crumpton - Senior Editor - Sunday, March 16 2025

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell talked Pete Crow-Armstrong's on-field abilities and gave his evaluation of the outfielder's bold haircut in his postgame media availability following the Cubs' 2025 MLB Tokyo Series exhibition win over the Yomiuri Giants.

Watch the postgame press conference below:

Video summary/cliff-notes:

(00:05) Cubs manager Craig Counsell discusses Pete Crow-Armstrong’s performance, highlighting his versatility and strong contributions in the game.

(01:19) Counsell praises Crow-Armstrong’s speed and defensive skills, emphasizing a key play where he cut off a ball and returned it quickly.

(02:23) Counsell comments on Seiya Suzuki’s performance, acknowledging his good condition despite not recording a hit against the Giants’ well-executed pitching strategy.

(03:33) Counsell mentions Yomiuri Giants’ slugger Kazuma Okamoto, noting his impressive at-bats, especially against fast pitching.

(04:36) On lineup changes, Counsell explains Suzuki moving from the second to the third spot in the batting order but downplays any major strategic shift.

(05:41) Discusses a pitcher’s velocity drop last season and efforts in spring training to regain it, emphasizing the importance of maintaining speed in MLB.

(07:52) Counsell clarifies that a mid-game substitution was planned to give another player an at-bat, not due to any injury concerns.

(08:59) Notes a pitcher hitting 94-95 mph in his latest outing, calling it his best session so far and a positive step heading into the season.