MESA, Ariz. — The World Baseball Classic this spring will be Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s first, but it won’t be the first time he dons Team USA’s stars and stripes — not by a long shot. He has been in USA Baseball’s system since 12-and-unders.
‘‘I can look back 12 years ago, and I played with [Pirates ace] Paul Skenes before he was a pitcher,’’ Crow-Armstrong said in a recent conversation with the Sun-Times. ‘‘I played with [the Cardinals’] Masyn Winn before he was a Gold Glove shortstop. [Padres prospect] Carson Tucker is still one of my best friends to this day, and we met on the USA team.’’
For Crow-Armstrong, this season will be about building on a 2025 that featured extreme highs and an extended low. Before that, however, he’ll get his first taste of the pro national team as a member of a roster stacked with MLB talent, including three Cubs: Crow-Armstrong, third baseman Alex Bregman and left-hander Matthew Boyd.
Team USA will feature the best WBC pitching staff it has had, with Skenes and Tigers ace Tarik Skubal — the reigning Cy Young winners — headlining a stacked rotation and closer Mason Miller leading the bullpen. The position-player group features Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who finished first and second in the American League MVP race last season.
Crow-Armstrong has vivid memories of his dad praising Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, now a Team USA teammate.
‘‘He is [Angels star] Mike Trout if he can stay healthy,’’ Matthew John Armstrong would say.
‘‘So the thought of me platooning with Byron Buxton is sort of hard to fathom,’’ Crow-Armstrong said, ‘‘but [it’s] super-freaking cool.’’
While he was growing up, USA Baseball took Crow-Armstrong all over the world. He fondly reminisces about sneaking out to explore Busan, South Korea. He was captivated by a famous fortress in Cartagena, Colombia. He has talked with Cubs teammate Miguel Amaya about playing in Chitre, Panama, Amaya’s hometown.
‘‘What was so significant about Team USA experiences for me was [that] it’s a much shorter window to really come together and all buy into the same thing,’’ Crow-Armstrong said. ‘‘And that never changed throughout 12 to 15 to 18.’’
Crow-Armstrong returns to a Team USA squad after a roller-coaster 2025 season that still saw him hit 31 home runs and steal 35 bases. He was stalwart on defense all season, earning his first career Gold Glove. On offense, he put up MVP numbers in the first half to earn a start in the All-Star Game but slumped down the stretch.
‘‘The steps we’ve taken with the swing over the last three-plus years have been incredible, and I’m very proud of that,’’ Crow-Armstrong said last week in the middle of a scrum of reporters and cameras. ‘‘What I’m not so proud of yet is the .280 on-base percentage and the 55% swing rate, or whatever it was. That’s no fun. I had a lot more fun when I was playing well.’’
He sold himself a little short with those figures. He posted a .287 OBP and a 53.5 out-of-zone swing percentage (according to Statcast) last season, leaving plenty of room for improvement with his pitch selection. He also zeroed in this offseason on repeating his setup, stepping into the batter’s box with the same routine before every pitch.
Crow-Armstrong will get continued instruction on those things in Cubs camp and will have a chance to pick the brains of some of the best hitters in the world on the national team. Team USA is also the favorite in the tournament, promising high-intensity environments in the later rounds. That kind of experience is hard to replicate outside of the playoffs.
‘‘What I’ve been told is, there’s nothing like the sights and sounds of the WBC,’’ Crow-Armstrong said.