Everything is coming up Justin Crawford this season. The Philadelphia Phillies MLB Pipeline No. 3 prospect is having himself quite a year ripping through the minor leagues.
After beginning the year with the High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws, Crawford earned a well-deserved promotion to the Reading Fightin Phils before the All-Star break. Focused on elevating the ball more this season, the results came in High-A.
The 2022 first-round pick hit .301 with a .788 OPS, six home runs, 14 doubles, and four triples while picking up 27 steals in his 292 at-bats with the BlueClaws.
Phillies' top outfield prospect Justin Crawford already showing he's too good for Double-A
After playing in his second MLB All-Star Futures Game in Texas, Crawford joined the Fightin Phils in Double-A and got off to a quick start. The 20-year-old went 3-for-4 in his first game, hitting a pair of doubles, scoring a run and stealing his first base. From there, Crawford hasn't looked back.
Justin Crawford showed off all his tools in his Double-A debut with the Fightin' Phils 👀
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) July 20, 2024
The No. 3 @Phillies / No. 55 @MLBPipeline prospect had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, a stolen base and 2 impressive catches! pic.twitter.com/qmao9LRGxh
Some players take time to acclimate to a new level after earning a promotion, but that hasn't been the case for Crawford. He has only been in Double-A a short time, but the toolsy center fielder is already showing that he might already be too good for that level.
In 10 games heading into Saturday's action, he's hitting .333 with a .391 on-base and a .429 slugging percentage. He hasn't hit a home run yet, but he has four doubles and has already swiped six bases.
The surface-level stats look incredible to begin his Doudle-A stint, but the underlying stats are just as encouraging. Crawford has kept his walk and strikeout rates, as well as his batted ball profile, similar to his performance in High-A.
Stat | High-A | Double-A |
|---|---|---|
BB% | 6.6% | 6.5% |
K% | 20.2% | 21.7% |
GB% | 60.6% | 62.5% |
LD% | 18.1% | 21.9% |
FB% | 21.3% | 15.6% |
The only drop-off Crawford has seen against more advanced pitching is his fly ball rate. But he has made up for that with a better line drive rate, which means more extra-base hits all over the field for a player with his speed.
With his success in Double-A, while still over two years younger than the average age for the level, Crawford's knocking on the door of another promotion before the season's out. If he continues on this trajectory, he could very well find himself making an appearance in the majors before the end of next season — it's not like there's anyone blocking him in center field.