The Philadelphia Phillies selected Justin Crawford out of high school with the 17th overall choice in the 2022 MLB Draft, giving them a player with Major League pedigree. His father, Carl Crawford, played 14 seasons in the Major League Baseball for three different clubs, amassing a career slash line of.290/.330/.435 with 136 home runs, 766 RBI, and 480 stolen bases. He was also a four-time All-Star, and he won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. The outfielder was best renowned for his quickness on the basepaths. The elder Crawford led the American League in stolen bases four times and stole 50 or more bases five times, including one year when he swiped 60 bags.
It appears that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, as the Phillies’ elite prospect is receiving the same plaudits for his speed. Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline named the younger Crawford the quickest runner in minor league baseball. “Justin recorded 60-yard dash times under 6.2 seconds on the high school showcase circuit and used his quickness to steal 47 bases in 55 attempts and to turn enough grounders into singles to rank seventh in the Minors in batting (.332) during his first full pro season,” Callis writes in the article. Philadelphia appears to have acquired a legitimate weapon on the basepaths in their farm system.
Crawford was upgraded to the High Single-A level last year and was still able to demonstrate his pace against more difficult opponents. He stole seven bases in 18 games, indicating that he will be able to maintain this level of performance as he advances up the pipeline.
The 20-year-old has a promising future ahead of him as he matures. For comparison, Corbin Carroll, like Crawford, was previously rated as the quickest runner and is coming off a season in which he became the first rookie to have 25 home runs and 50 thefts, finishing with 54. The Phillies’ top prospect still has a couple more years in the farm system.
Crawford is the 77th overall prospect in the minors, according to the most recent MLB Pipeline rankings. However, as he continues to improve, it is evident that he possesses a skill that will make it difficult to keep him off the Major League roster.
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