As the end of the Chicago Cubs’ playoff-less season came to a close, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had not yet let himself digest his rookie year. A constant learning process that saw Crow-Armstrong overcome a rough first-half offensive performance turned him into a more well-rounded player with his tantalizing defensive prowess and speed on the basepaths provided a glimpse of the type of star the Cubs need to develop from within their system. Crow-Armstrong possesses the skills to become that player and still has intriguing upside, not turning 23 until March. For the Cubs to get back to the postseason in 2025, they will need Crow-Armstrong to play a key role in that effort. While Crow-Armstrong hadn’t fully taken in his first big-league season after getting a taste of it in September 2023, his journey gave him big-picture perspective. “It’s hard no matter what, even when it starts getting a little bit easier,” Crow-Armstrong told the Tribune. “It’s been a huge learning curve, and I’ve had a lot of space and grace to do it up here, which is cool. So I’m appreciative of that, the leniency, in a way, from everybody here. But I’ve learned that I can do it.” Crow-Armstrong’s evolution over the course of the season came on the field and behind the scenes. By implementing a leg kick in late July, Crow-Armstrong went from a .180/.230/.292 hitter with a .523 OPS in his first 66 games to putting up a .289/.337/.469 line and .806 OPS over his final 57 games. His preparation work was just as valuable. The maturation and development in that area of his game was cited often late in the season by manager Craig Counsell as where he witnessed the most growth from Crow-Armstrong. “I’ve really learned how to just come in, day in and day out, and do my work because at the end of the day, we’re playing 162 of these things,” Crow-Armstrong said. “You could feel the most amazing I’ve ever felt in your life, and then I wouldn’t be 4-for-4. So it’s just trusting the work and actually doing the work and letting the game just be the game. “I definitely feel more big-leaguer-like. I was just waiting for the experience. With each day, there was some impatience and whatnot, but … I gained a little bit more confidence just because of that experience.” Crow-Armstrong worked with third-base coach Willie Harris and first-base coach Mike Napoli with his outfield and base-running pregame work, respectively, and found, then honed, a routine that felt it set him up for success in-game. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong slides to make a catch against the Twins on Aug. 7, 2024, at Wrigley Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong beats the throw to steal second base against the Twins on Aug. 7, 2024, at Wrigley Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) That will look a little different next season with Harris and Napoli not returning to the coaching staff for 2025. The Cubs are hiring Brewers first-base coach Quintin Berry to fill their third-base coach position, a source confirmed to the Tribune. Berry’s base-running knowledge and experience, both as a coach for four years in Milwaukee and from his five-year major-league career, will serve as a great resource for Crow-Armstrong and that part of the Cubs’ offensive identity. “It’s never hard to embrace the process,” Crow-Armstrong said. “For me, it’s hard to embrace the failure and it’s hard to get past the results. Then I think I did and would lose sight a little bit of the process and embracing that aspect of it, but that doesn’t mean it ever stopped. … If anything, (the routine) got more simple, more simplified.” As Crow-Armstrong looks to build off his rookie season during the next three months, he isn’t satisfied with the mental part of his game either. He pointed to veteran Kyle Hendricks’ career and the routine he developed and deployed the last 11 years, no matter the highs or lows on the mound. “That’s the hard part about baseball is you’re really nothing without what you’ve got going up on upstairs,” Crow-Armstrong said. “And we saw that with me, like, I wasn’t s— if I was always chasing the back-foot sliders, right? It’s not because I could or couldn’t hit it. It’s because I should and should not swing at it. It’s crazy how it works, but that’s kind of been the most challenging part, is making my mind work.” If Crow-Armstrong can put it all together over a full season in 2025, he would give the Cubs a young star capable of leading them back to the postseason.