Craig Counsell shares a frank assessment of Pete Crow-Armstrong's hitting but expresses full belief in him: 'There is a great player in there'

(670 The Score) Cubs manager Craig Counsell is a true believer in 22-year-old rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong despite the youngster’s struggles at the plate in his first full MLB season.

The lefty bat Crow-Armstrong is hitting .188 with one homer, 13 RBIs and a .508 OPS in 52 games this season. His OPS+ sits at 44, which is well below the league average of 100. Beyond that, Crow-Armstrong is 15-of-15 in stolen-base attempts and plays terrific defense. Those traits and his potential to become a better hitter are why the struggling Cubs are enduring his current growing pains by playing him as their primary center fielder.

In an interview on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Wednesday, Counsell acknowledged those struggles with a frank assessment while also sharing his conviction in what Crow-Armstrong can become.

“Pete is a player that there’s been players, very many similar players like this, and it’s easy to see his physical gifts – even for fans, right?” Counsell said. “They just jump out at you. And those players have come with the biggest expectations, and often come with the largest learning curve too. That’s just kind of the way it is. Pete still needs at-bats. There’s no question – like experience just facing major league pitching. Sometimes there’s failures too, but we just got to keep Pete going in the right direction. He’s an unfinished offensive player, there’s no question about it, an unfinished hitter. And we’ve just got to keep making progress with him as a hitter. It’s not always linear. Sometimes, frankly, some of the at-bats are tough to watch. But we just got to keep making progress with him. Because there is a great player in there. You don’t know when it’s going to come out exactly, but there is a great player in there.”