Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Justin Crawford is on the cusp of breaking into the majors, albeit with a few concerns for management. His defense is worrisome, but his ability with the bat is something the club can't live without for long.
That said, adjustments are always necessary for improvement, and Crawford's offseason work seems to be addressing a major issue in his swing.
Crawford's offensive season with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs sent fireworks from Allentown to Philadelphia; his triple slash of .334/.411/.452 is a great combination of contact prowess and gap-to-gap slapping ability. His average wound up garnering him both the International League batting title and MLB's selection as the club's prospect of the year.
One glaring issue, however, detracts from his stellar performance.
Since joining Philadelphia's minor league system, Crawford has struggled to get the ball into the air. His ground ball rate hovers around 60 percent most seasons, and has previously peaked at 75 percent, both marks being well above average measures. His 75-grade speed helps to beat out these dribblers, and to avoid double plays, but the fact remains: grounders translate into outs more than fly balls.
Phillies hoping Justin Crawford's offseason routine will help him get the ball in the air
Crawford's offseason plan seems to be addressing exactly that. In a video posted on X, Crawford and former Phillies legend Shane Victorino are taking batting practice, where Crawford's adjustments are on full display:
Those hands look significantly lowered for Crawford.
— Sam Jellinek (@SamJellinek) December 27, 2025
Had started to lower them at the end of the season but seems like this is another progression. Scouts had consistently said lowering the hands would be a big piece in decreasing his GB%. https://t.co/cX6dkalJXV
By lowering his hands, even marginally, Crawford is looking to add loft to the ball, getting it off of the ground and out of the infield. Loft, after all, is king, but there's good reason for that. Beyond the light tower power of players like Kyle Schwarber, getting the ball into the air allows for more opportunity for plays on the bases.
For a top of the order hitter like Crawford, the goal isn't necessarily to get the ball out of the park. It's to get him on base even more, in better situations than he found himself in previously. Pounding the ball into the infield grass is great for beat-out singles, but it also leads to the 64 double play opportunities he generated.
With the wide gaps in center field at Citizens Bank Park, why shouldn't Crawford try to get the ball there? A well-placed hit could lead to easy extra bases for such a speedster.
Crawford doesn't need help making contact; his league-leading average and .407 BABIP do enough talking to satiate that point. But the quality of contact can be improved, which will lead to more opportunities for scoring runs. At the end of the game, that's what it's about: generating runs.
Should the adjustments translate well, Phillies fans could be in for a treat come spring training and the start of the regular season. Crawford has been tantalizing thus far, kept away from the big leagues because of the Phillies' outfield situation. It shouldn't come as a surprise if Crawford finds himself starting sooner than later, even with the other competitors for outfield spots, and adding a galvanizing force on the basepaths.