Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Justin Crawford has had a rapid rise through the minor league ranks since being picked 17th in the 2022 Draft. After finishing his second full season of professional baseball at Double-A Reading this past season, the conversation about Crawford's readiness to patrol the outfield at Citizens Bank Park has already begun.
Currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 3 prospect in the Phillies system behind Aidan Miller (No. 1) and Andrew Painter (No. 2), Crawford could be the closest of the trio to making his debut with the Phillies outfield mix unclear following recent comments from president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. While Crawford remains a long shot to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training, it's clear that the team doesn't think it will be long before Crawford is a part of the big league roster.
Crawford was simply outstanding across two minor league levels this past season, batting .313, with 143 hits, nine home runs and 61 RBI, swiping 42 bases along the way.
Even more impressive is the growing list of superlatives on Crawford's resume. This year marked his second appearance in the MLB Futures Game, a showcase of all 32 team's top minor league talent that takes place during All-Star weekend. Add in a selection to the Florida State League All-Star squad in 2023, and it's easy to see that Crawford has made his presence felt since being drafted out of high school in 2022.
Phillies' Justin Crawford picked to represent USA Baseball this winter
Crawford will soon add another superlative to his already impressive list of accomplishments when he takes the field for Team USA in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12. The US roster was announced on Monday, and Crawford will join three fellow Top 100 MLB prospects and a handful of players with big league experience when play begins from November 9-14 in Guadalajara and Tepic, Mexico.
Playing in international competition alongside established MLB players like Rich Hill, Dan Altavilla, and former Phillies pitcher Dylan Covey should be a great learning experience for Crawford, although being the son of retired four-time All-Star Carl Crawford has likely prepared him for moments like this as well. Now two levels away from becoming an MLB ball player himself, Crawford will get a chance to dig in against some advanced pitching while representing Team USA on the world stage.
While the Phillies' plan for Crawford in 2025 is still unclear, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic prospect handles this next development challenge. How much does Crawford have to prove to get the call to The Show? It's possible a solid showing for Team USA and in spring training could be just what it takes to force the Phillies to make Crawford part of next season's plans.