Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55 

The son of former All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford, Justin comes from Las Vegas high school power Bishop Gorman High School, alma mater of Joey Gallo and eventual Yankees first-rounder Austin Wells, among others. The younger Crawford showed off many of his tools on the summer showcase circuit to ensure scouts headed to Vegas this spring, and they haven’t been disappointed.

Anyone who remembers watching his dad play should not be surprised that Crawford is one of the better athletes in this class. He regularly records easily plus run times and that near-elite speed will allow him to be a threat on the bases and cover a ton of ground in the outfield. At the plate, the left-handed hitter has very good bat-to-ball skills, showing the ability to make adjustments. He’s more of a slap hitter now, content to let his legs do the work, but there’s some whip in his swing and he can sit back and drive the ball the other way, with added strength to help him in the power department in the future.

Crawford has the chance to be a plus defender in center field when all is said and done. Teams who believe he’s going to fill out that 6-foot-3 frame and consistently impact the ball will be interested in trying to sign him away from his Louisiana State commitment, perhaps making him just the second Bishop Gorman product to go in the top three rounds (Tyler Whitaker was a third-rounder in 2021) since Gallo was a supplemental first-round pick in 2012.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 75 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55

The son of longtime big leaguer Carl Crawford, Justin attended Las Vegas high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman, showing off his tools -- most notably his premium speed -- on the summer showcase circuit in 2021 and then into his senior season in '22, allowing him to land in the middle of the first round with the Phillies. He managed to hit and run his way from Single-A Clearwater up to High-A Jersey Shore in his first full season, while also earning an invitation to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.

A left-handed hitter, Crawford does a lot of things well at the plate with a setup and approach that’s geared for contact. He struck out in fewer than 20 percent of his plate appearances in 2023 en route to hitting a combined .332 with a .392 on-base percentage. There has been some concern with his propensity to hit the ball on the ground, with a ground-ball rate hovering around 70 percent in 2023. He hits the ball plenty hard enough, with a maximum exit velocity of 110 mph, but he needs to work on the quality of his contact and driving the ball more as he moves up the ladder. It’s something the Phillies think will happen as he continues to gain strength and learns to lift the ball more.

As fast as Crawford is -- he stole 47 bases in 2023 -- he might even have another gear, with that added strength leading to better body control. That will help him on the basepaths and in center field, where he should easily be a plus defender. Just 20 for all of the 2024 season, he inspires a lot of confidence that he'll make the offensive adjustments necessary to be much more than just a ground-ball guy with elite speed.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55

A product of Las Vegas high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman, alma mater of big leaguers like Joey Gallo, Carl Crawford’s son inherited a lot of his dad’s speed and athleticism. They were all on display on the summer showcase circuit in 2021 and into Justin's senior season leading up to the 2022 Draft. The Phillies took him No. 17 overall in the first round, then let him show off those tools during a brief pro debut after signing.

Crawford is a long and loose athlete who regularly posts at least plus run times. The fact that he stole 10 bases in 16 games during his pro debut is not a fluke, he'll have the chance to steal a ton of bags as he progresses. He has excellent contact skills and is decidedly hit-over-power, using his speed to his advantage. The Phillies have seen some raw pop in BP and think the power will emerge as he tightens up his swing and adds strength. He’s already put on 15 pounds of good weight since he signed.

Crawford’s speed is a huge asset in the outfield and he has the opportunity to be a plus center fielder for a long time. Evaluators who have seen Crawford as a pro describe his game on both sides of the ball as electric, and there’s excitement about the kind of five-tool potential the teenager might be able to display as he physically matures.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 50

The son of former All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford, Justin comes from Las Vegas high-school power Bishop Gorman High School, alma mater of Joey Gallo and eventual Yankees first-rounder Austin Wells, among others. The younger Crawford showed off many of his tools on the summer showcase circuit and continued to perform well in Vegas this spring, leading to him being taken No. 17 overall by the Phillies, who went a little over slot to sign him for $3.894 million.

Anyone who remembers watching his dad play should not be surprised that Crawford was one of the better athletes in the 2022 Draft class. He regularly easily records plus run times and that near-elite speed will enable him to be a threat on the bases and cover a ton of ground in the outfield. At the plate, the left-handed hitter has very good bat-to-ball skills, showing the ability to make adjustments. He’s more of a slap hitter now, content to let his legs do the work, but there’s some whip in his swing, and he can sit back and drive the ball the other way, with added strength to help him in the power department in the future.

Crawford has the chance to be a plus defender in center field when all is said and done, with an above-average arm. The combination of bloodlines and ceiling -- he’ll certainly fill out his 6-foot-3 frame -- already has the Phillies' player development staff excited.

Awards

Futures Game Selection

Year	Team
2024
2023

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2023

Baseball America Low Class A All-Star

Year	Team
2023

FSL Top MLB Prospect

Year	Team
2023

FSL Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2023

FSL Most Valuable Player

Year	Team
2023

FSL Player of the Week

Week	Team
06/04/2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	07/19/2024	Reading Fightin Phils activated OF Justin Crawford.
	07/14/2024	National League Futures activated OF Justin Crawford.
	07/12/2024	OF Justin Crawford assigned to Reading Fightin Phils from Jersey Shore BlueClaws.
	03/18/2024	OF Justin Crawford assigned to Philadelphia Phillies.
	03/07/2024	Philadelphia Phillies Prospects activated OF Justin Crawford.
	08/29/2023	Jersey Shore BlueClaws activated OF Justin Crawford from the temporarily inactive list.
	08/25/2023	Jersey Shore BlueClaws placed OF Justin Crawford on the temporarily inactive list.
	08/15/2023	OF Justin Crawford assigned to Jersey Shore BlueClaws from Clearwater Threshers.
	07/10/2023	Clearwater Threshers activated OF Justin Crawford from the temporarily inactive list.
	07/07/2023	Clearwater Threshers placed OF Justin Crawford on the temporarily inactive list.
	07/07/2023	National League Futures activated OF Justin Crawford.
	03/17/2023	OF Justin Crawford and assigned to Philadelphia Phillies.
	09/28/2022	Clearwater Threshers activated OF Justin Crawford.
	09/14/2022	OF Justin Crawford and assigned to Phillies Organization.
	09/03/2022	Clearwater Threshers placed OF Justin Crawford on the 7-day injured list.
	08/25/2022	OF Justin Crawford assigned to Clearwater Threshers from FCL Phillies.
	08/25/2022	Clearwater Threshers activated OF Justin Crawford.
	08/09/2022	OF Justin Crawford assigned to FCL Phillies.
	07/25/2022	Philadelphia Phillies signed OF Justin Crawford.
	08/18/2021	OF Justin Crawford and assigned to PG West.
	07/13/2021	PG National 7 - Orange activated Justin Crawford.
	07/03/2021	OF Justin Crawford and assigned to College Workout.
	07/03/2021	College Workout activated OF Justin Crawford.