‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Carl Crawford on son Justin following in his footsteps, how they compare at 22, and more
Carl Crawford sat down with The Inquirer’s baseball podcast to discuss Justin’s formative years in baseball as the 22-year-old prepares to make his major league debut.
Justin Crawford always wanted to do everything like his famous baseball-playing father. So, at age 2, when his dad handed him a bat for the first time, he insisted on swinging it left-handed, even though everyone agreed he was a righty.
And that was when Carl Crawford knew. His son was determined to follow in his footsteps.
Carl Crawford ranked among the most dynamic players in baseball for much of his 15-year career. But next week, he likely will be in the stands at Citizens Bank Park, watching Justin make his major league debut.
» READ MORE: Justin Crawford showcases ability to put a ball in play on the ground: ‘That’s all he needs to do’
The Phillies intend to commit to Justin as their everyday center fielder. And if the 22-year-old is in the opening-day lineup, as expected, he will be the youngest outfielder to start the first game of a season for the Phillies since Greg Luzinski in 1973.
Carl Crawford sat down with Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, from his home in Houston to discuss Justin’s formative years in baseball.
Here are a few excerpts from the conversation. Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Q: Justin will almost certainly be there in center field on opening day, and I wonder what the emotions are like for you, not only as a father, but also as a former big leaguer with a son who is following in your footsteps?
A: From the day he was drafted by the Phillies, this touched me in ways that you guys can never imagine. Just to have the father-son bloodline in the major leagues, that’s a huge thing. Major accomplishment that we know that too many people haven’t done, so to be part of that group right there … one of the best feelings in the world. You watch your son from a baby on up to an adult, and he’s doing exactly what you were doing. And it’s kind of awesome to see, to actually watch that process. And I’m just enjoying it as much as I can, and I want the best for him. And I hope he continues to do well and beat all my records that he’s striving for.
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Q: Looking back on your major league debut in 2002 with the then-Devil Rays, is there anything from that whole experience that you wish you had done that you would tell Justin to do?
A: I already tell him, ‘Pick guys’ brains.’ The older guys that he’s around, even in spring training, sit at a table or whatnot. I remember when I first got called up to the major leagues, the first thing I did was walk into [former Tampa Bay manager] Hal McRae’s office, and I just asked him, ‘Yo, I’m clueless to what’s going on around here. What do I need to do to stay? I’m not trying to go back to the minor leagues.’ And he told me, ‘Help me win the ballgame. Show me something different every day.’ And I took that and went and did my thing because that’s all I needed to hear.
Q: When did you realize that Justin was serious about baseball and that he had the talent to maybe play pro ball?
A: When Justin was 1 or 2 years old, I already had the tee for him. … He’s really right-handed; he watched me as a 1- and 2-year-old, and he wanted to hit left-handed so bad because he saw me doing it. So every time he’d set up to bat left-handed, and I’d take the bat out of his hand and make him hit right-handed, and he’ll switch back over to the left. And I’m telling him, you’re right-handed, Justin. I already tested his legs and arms and stuff, so I can tell he was right-handed, but he refused to hit on his right side. And that’s because he used to watch my YouTube videos all the time. So, I’m not going to argue with a 2-year-old, you know what I’m saying? You want to hit on your left side, you can hit on your left side. And he showed me everything else right-handed. So, he was determined to hit left-handed.
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Q: I wonder if you could take your dad hat off and put your scout hat on. How was a 22-year-old Carl Crawford the same or different from Justin Crawford at age 22?
A: At 22, I was a little bit more raw of an athlete, still more of an athlete-style player. He’s more of a polished player. I played football all the way up through high school, so I was like a two-sport athlete, still learning the game, just real raw, a lot of athleticism. But he’s pretty much learned what he needed to kind of do with his game since he was able to watch me. He was able to kind of learn his game, knowing he’s a speed guy. He pretty much stayed that way all the way through Little League, through high school, and kind of like what you see now. So, I like to say his game is more polished than mine.
Q: Imagine you’re sitting there on opening day and Justin comes to the plate for the first time. Are you going to be emotional?
A: … A lot of emotions will be going through my head. Because I started thinking about when he was a kid, when we first introduced the game to him, how I used to have him out on the fields and hanging out with the guys. So, I guess a lot of emotions will be running through my head at the time. … My proudest thing will be to achieve his dream that he set out for at 2 years old, and he’s been on the mission.
The easiest thing about this process with me is that — most people have to push their kids so hard. I didn’t have to do nothing. All I had to do was give a couple of encouraging words and inspire him here and there. And he did it all on his own. So, I’m good. I’m sure y’all gonna see that out of him whenever he gets up there with those feelings, because he’s got the eye of the tiger, too, and he wants to show that he’s not just Carl Crawford’s son. He wants to show y’all he’s his own person.