Phillies GM drops not-so-subtle hint about who will be playing center field next year

It's no secret that the Philadelphia Phillies' outfield situation coming out of 2024 is a mess. It's also not a secret that the front office is going to do everything in its power to upgrade the group that weighed down the team like an anchor around its neck this past season.

Free agent names like Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernández and that Juan Soto fella have been tossed about plenty as options the Phillies should pursue to fix the outfield offense. While adding a proven corner outfield bat this winter is a priority, the options on the free agent market for legitimate center fielders are slim.

With Johan Rojas struggling mightily to carve out a spot as an MLB-level player, especially for a premier up-the-middle position like center field, fans and media have started clamoring for a look at top prospect Justin Crawford. Ranked No. 3 in the Phillies Top 30 by MLB Pipeline, Crawford had an impressive season in 2024, reaching and excelling in Double-A.

Named the 2024 Paul Owens Award winner as the best position player in the Phillies system and now playing for Team USA in the Premier12 tournament, Crawford will no doubt get a look in spring training. At such a young age — he turns 21 in January — will the World Series-hopeful Phillies seriously consider him an option in 2025?

Justin Crawford has a real chance to be Phillies center fielder in 2025

They've already left the door open for a new center fielder next year. Now, according to the Phillies' new general manager Preston Mattingly, it sounds like a real possibility. Appearing on the High Hopes podcast recently, Mattingly raved about Crawford.

"It was impressive what he did, you know a 20-year-old finishing the year in Double-A," Mattingly said. "The success he had, and I think he's just scratching the surface on what he can do. If Justin continues to get the ball in the line and in the air, it's going to be an extremely dynamic player. It's going to be doubles, triples, home runs, and you know any ball in the gap is essentially a triple, so, yeah, it's an exciting guy."

The Phillies' 2022 first-round pick hit .333 with a .834 OPS in 40 games in Double-A after his midseason promotion. He logged three home runs, 11 doubles, 26 RBI and 15 stolen bases in his 180 plate appearances with the Reading Fightin Phils.

So is Crawford going to spring training with an actual shot at an Opening Day roster spot? Host Jack Fritz asked this burning question directly. The GM's response was telling.

"I think anybody that gets invited to big league spring training, to me, you're competing for a job ...," Mattingly said. "I think with the way our roster is constructed right now, if I was Justin, I would be coming in to try and win a job, and whether that happens out of spring training or whether that happens in July or September, make a great impression in spring. So I think we're looking to see how he fits on the field with our guys. It's gonna be exciting."

If anyone knows about Crawford and his potential it's Mattingly, who was the team's director of player development before his recent promotion.

The door is definitely open for Crawford to join the Phillies on the plane from Clearwater in March. Of course, he's still young, as Mattingly also warned, so there's no guarantee it'll happen out of camp. But with the trajectory Crawford has put himself on, it wouldn't be surprising to see him patrolling center field at Citizens Bank Park eventually in 2025.

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