The Phillies have elite speed at the top and bottom of the order. And it could be key for an inconsistent offense.

It has been a month of firsts for Justin Crawford.

Some happened all at once. He got his first hit on the first pitch of his first at-bat in his first game. Others came soon after: his first walk-off hit, his first extra-base hit and RBI, and his first stolen base. A few, like his first home run, are requiring more patience.

The Phillies have observed how the 22-year-old rookie center fielder handles it all. Teammates are struck by his poise; coaches like his maturity. The most common impression: He looks like he belongs.

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Occasionally, though, a little reassurance is needed. Take, for instance, after Crawford got caught stealing for the first time as a major leaguer in the second inning April 10. He reached base four times over the next two games but didn’t attempt to run.

So, before a recent game, first-base coach Paco Figueroa asked Crawford to pretend he was about to face Cubs starter Javier Assad in triple A rather than the majors.

“You get a hit off him, and now, you’re at first base,” Figueroa said. “How are you going to feel?”

The idea, according to Figueroa, was to remind Crawford to have confidence in his biggest asset: his speed.

“Because a lot of times young kids that come into the league — I’m not just saying him; everybody that I’ve had experience with — once they get on base, it’s not like, ‘Let me not mess up,’ but it’s a little bit more conservative," Figueroa said. “You know what I mean? First time in the big leagues; 40,000 fans. He’s got the makeup and all the confidence in the world, but it’s just reminding him: Trust it.”

Crawford objectively is among the fastest players in baseball. Trea Turner, the Phillies’ leadoff hitter, is the fastest, with an average sprint speed (30.1 feet per second) that leads the majors and is identical to when he broke into the big leagues 10 years ago.

In Turner and Crawford, the Phillies have elite speed at the north and south poles of the batting order. Yet each had stolen one base — and totaled only three attempts — entering the weekend.

“It’s going to come,” Figueroa said.

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The Phillies have a need for their speed, as Maverick and Goose might say. Because as much as any time in the Bryce Harper era, there are signs that they may struggle for consistent offense. Entering the weekend series against the Braves, they were 21st in runs per game (4.0), 23rd in batting average (.229), 22nd in on-base percentage (.309), and tied for 17th in slugging (.381).

(And they were 27th with a .559 OPS against lefties, dragged down by a .547 mark from their right-handed hitters.)

Surely, they could leverage the elite speed of Turner and Crawford to find alternative ways to score when Kyle Schwarber and Harper don’t hit the ball into the seats.

The Phillies don’t have to be the millennial version of Whitey Herzog’s Cardinals. But speed and aggressiveness on the bases were hallmarks of the Brewers’ 97- and 93-win teams over the last two years. The Diamondbacks ran their way to the pennant in 2023.

Figueroa has overseen the Phillies’ baserunning since 2019. In that time, they rank second in baserunning runs, a metric that attempts to qualify overall impact on the bases beyond just steals. The Phillies could benefit from expanding that playbook.

“If you create havoc on the bases, then you’re putting pressure on the defense,” Figueroa said. “And that’s just not the speed guys stealing. I’m talking about ground balls, home to first, and what you’re doing is you’re creating an environment that, any time a club comes in to play the Phillies, you’ve got to catch the ball cleanly.

“That’s what we’d love to create with ‘J’ and Trea.”

If not, it would be akin to taking the local train when there’s access to an express.

Crawford stole 40 bases in three consecutive seasons in the minors, including a league-leading 46 last year in triple A. His success rate in the minor leagues: 81.9%.

He isn’t afraid to run.

But through Thursday, Crawford attempted two steals in 21 potential opportunities. He swiped second base on April 6 in Colorado and got thrown out at second four nights later by Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno.

“It’s usually dependent on the pitcher and his time to the plate, and so far, the pitchers that we’ve faced have been pretty quick to the plate,” manager Rob Thomson said. “They’ve done a nice job, especially on Craw and Turner. He’ll get his opportunities, I’m sure.“

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Indeed, there have been times when the Phillies told Crawford not to run. He mostly bats ninth (he got bumped up to the No. 8 spot Friday night against Braves lefty starter Martin Pérez), so when the lineup turns over, the top of the order comes up behind him. And if they give Crawford a green light with Turner, Schwarber, and Harper due to bat, he better be safe.

If anyone can relate to balancing aggressiveness on the bases and not risking an out with a big hitter at the plate, it’s Turner.

“I’ve done it my whole career,” he said. “I try to think of more from a team perspective. What’s the score? Is it an easy bag? Or, if I’m on first base, can I score on a double anyway? If you ask yourself the questions and you have an answer and an explanation, I think that’s good enough for me.”

It’s also easy for a manager to trust Turner, who leads the majors with 316 steals since 2015 and also has an 85.6% success rate. And although he has barely run so far, Turner’s history — two 40-steal seasons and five years with at least 30 steals, including 2023 and 2025 with the Phillies — suggests he will.

Like most young players, Crawford hasn’t earned the same autonomy, which doesn’t mean he won’t get opportunities. Despite not having carte blanche to run, Johan Rojas stole 14 bases in half a season as a rookie for the Phillies in 2023 and 25 in 2024.

“I remember a lot of times it was like, he saw the red light,” Figueroa said, “which, he never saw the red light in his life.”

Said Turner: “It’s really determined by the manager, for the most part, until you prove that he can trust you one way or the other. I think [Crawford’s] just got to take his opportunities when they’re there, when he gets the green light.”

Thomson said he’s more likely to take a chance with Crawford when the Phillies are “close or ahead [and] early in an inning.”

Crawford’s first steal attempt came on the first pitch to Turner with one out and a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning April 6 against the Rockies. His second came on a 1-0 pitch to Schwarber with two out and a 4-0 lead in the second inning April 10 against the Diamondbacks.

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“I’d say it’s pretty similar to what it was in the minor leagues,” Crawford said. “You’re not just trying to run with your head cut off. It’s more always picking your spots based on count, based on time of the game, reading the scoreboard. I’m kind of looking at what the game’s giving me.

“And Paco’s always in my ear, telling me when I’m going, when I’m not going.”

But steals are only the “cherry on top” of game-altering baserunning, as Figueroa says. When Turner and Crawford reach, the Phillies should be able to force opposing defenses into mistakes.

Entering the weekend, though, Crawford hadn’t advanced more than one base on a single or two on a double. He flashed his speed on a triple on April 10 but hasn’t scored from second on a double or gone from first to third on a single.

“I just think things have got to play out a little bit,” Turner said. “You talk about it and stuff, but some opportunities pop up, some don’t. I think over the course of the season he will figure out ways to impact the game.”

Since 2015, there have been 327 instances of a player stealing 20 bases in a season. Only seven have come from a player in the No. 9 spot, including Rojas in 2024.

Turner suggested that No. 9 hitters tend to reach base less often, and he’s correct. Even since the advent of the universal DH in 2022, No. 9 hitters have a .289 on-base percentage, the lowest clip of any lineup spot.

But Turner also conceded that it’s difficult to justify running in front of top-of-the-order hitters. Some left-handed hitters, in particular, prefer that a runner at first stay put because it opens a hole on the right side of the infield.

Is there a case to be made, then, that Crawford could use his speed more out of, say, the No. 8 spot?

Yes, as it turns out. Thomson said the Phillies moved Crawford up one spot to put a second right-handed hitter between him and Schwarber.

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“I do think it’s a little easier to run in a different spot in the order, but when you’re young and new, I think you can kind of flip that and change that a little bit,” Turner said. “I don’t think there’s any reason with what we’ve seen the first couple of weeks why he can’t steal 20 or more, just because he’s on base so much.

“The opportunities over the course of the season should be there for him. I’ve talked to him, and I know Kyle probably feels the same way, it’s just, ‘Run. I’d rather you be on second than first.’ But there’s also other ways to affect the game with your speed other than just stealing bases.”

It’s Figueroa’s job to make sure Crawford is ready when the opportunities do arise.

“For years here, like you see, we have a really good lineup, so a little bit of that is what the manager wants to do,” Figueroa said. “The game will tell you. But the way [Crawford] goes about it should never change.

“I mess with him like, ‘Every pitch you’re looking to steal, even if let’s say you have a red light.’ Because once the green light comes — and it’s coming — he’s a kid that’s going to be stealing a lot of bags in his career. It’s going to come."

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Gage Wood might have pitched the best game in college baseball history 10 months ago. Now, with Andrew Painter in the majors, Wood is the Phillies’ top pitching prospect. The 22-year-old righty joins Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss his strong start to the season. Watch here.

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Previous episodes: Scott Boras | Brian Barber | Aaron Nola | Justin Crawford | Garrett Stubbs | Kyle Schwarber | Brad Keller | J.T.Realmuto | Orion Kerkering | Whit Merrifield