Justin Crawford’s stellar first full season in the minors speeds all the way to the Futures Game at 19

The Phillies’ 2022 first-round pick leads the Florida State League with a .344 average, has 35 steals and is one of three 19-year-olds picked to play in the exhibition game.

Justin Crawford leads the Florida State League with a .344 average and is tied for fourth in on-base plus slugging (.854).Read moreCliff Welch/Icon Sportswire / AP

by Scott Lauber

Published July 6, 2023, 2:28 p.m. ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Justin Crawford spent his childhood in major league clubhouses. He once threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays game. And his dad’s picture is sprinkled in amid the decor at Tropicana Field. He’s polished and poised, and more matter-of-fact about playing baseball for a living than any 19-year-old should be.

But there are occasional reminders that Crawford is still a teenager. Try asking if there’s anyone he’s itching to meet when he arrives in Seattle this week for the All-Star Futures Game.

“If Ken Griffey Jr. is out there,” said Crawford, the Phillies’ 2022 first-round draft pick and top position-player prospect, “it would be cool to meet him and pick his brain a little bit.”

Oh, Griffey will be there. He’s only the greatest player in Mariners history. A bronze statue of him stands outside the home plate entrance to T-Mobile Park. And like Crawford, he’s a center fielder and the son of a former All-Star.

“I’m pretty sure he and my dad might’ve shared the field a few times,” Crawford said. “But I have not met him, actually. It would be awesome.”

Surely it can be arranged. Regardless, Crawford is finding it impossible to conceal his Futures Game excitement. Last week, he and double-A right-hander Mick Abel were picked to represent the Phillies in the annual prospect showcase, news that left him “really kind of shocked” because the event typically features double-A and triple-A players.

Of the 50 selections for Saturday’s game, Crawford is the only one from the low-A Florida State League and one of three 19-year-olds. But his inclusion wasn’t without merit. After going 3-for-6 with his first professional home run Wednesday night for Clearwater, he leads the league with a .344 average and ranks second in stolen bases (35) and tied for fourth in on-base plus slugging (.854).

As first full seasons go, it has been about as perfect as it gets for the 17th overall pick in last year’s draft.

“He’s just way more polished than what I was at that age,” Carl Crawford said by phone. “I was a little more raw. His IQ for the game is a lot higher. He’s already faster than what I was. He’s just developing every year. I think every year he’s going to get better and better. I think he’s actually going to be better than me.”

The Phillies would take that. Mostly, though, they want Justin to be Justin, even though he wears Carl’s No. 13 and has a nearly identical left-handed batting stance with the front leg jutting out behind him and pointing to the first-base dugout.

Here’s what really stands out about the younger Crawford: his ability to put bat to ball.

Two rival evaluators noted this week that they are impressed with Crawford’s barrel control. He struck out only 40 times in 230 plate appearances through Wednesday. And making consistent contact only makes sense given Crawford’s speed.

“I’m a fan,” said one NL talent evaluator. “I think it’s great to see a player of his ilk. We tend to always focus on exit velocity and non-speed guys who launch the ball that we forget table-settersare important. Leadoff guys who can create havoc and create runs are hugely important. This guy’s a throwback for me.”

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski spent a week in Clearwater last month and came away similarly impressed by Crawford’s skill set.

“We’re happy with how well he’s hit to start off,” Dombrowski said. “Part of it is he makes contact. He’s tall and he’s thin, but he’s already gained weight from last year. The most important thing is he makes contact and learns the strike zone.

“And he flies. I mean, he can fly.”

Indeed, Crawford is 35-for-39 in stolen base attempts. He’s fearless but not unrestrained. Although he has the speed to steal almost at will in A-ball, he’s learning to pick his spots, knowing the degree of difficulty will increase as he encounters pitchers who release the ball more quickly and catchers who have better arms and faster pop times.

But Crawford has the mentality to be an effective base stealer, daring teams to throw him out.

“My speed is one of the greatest tools that I have,” he said. “What I’ve learned is just put the pressure on the defense and the defense will mess up. You’re not always going to be safe, but with my speed, I feel like I can constantly put pressure on them. My thing is, when I get on the bases, just keep going.”

Crawford was going, going, gone to left field in the sixth inning Wednesday night for his first professional homer in his 287th plate appearance. When Carl Crawford was 19, in 2001, he hit four homers in 132 double-A games. Here again, the Phillies insist Justin is moving at his own pace and will develop power as he fills out his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame.

“I saw him hit a ball off the wall there one day, and I said, ‘In two years, that’s a home run,’” Dombrowski said. “We don’t care if he hits any home runs [this season]. That will take care of itself with his natural progression.”

Crawford has progressed to Baseball America’s top-100 prospects list. The question now: Do the Phillies move him up to high-A Jersey Shore in the second half or leave him in Clearwater, where the Threshers went 44-21 in the first half and clinched a playoff berth? One rival scout believes they may choose the latter, an approach that would place a value on instilling a winning culture in Crawford and others at Clearwater.

Whatever the Phillies do, there’s no denying that Crawford heads a deep organizational class of center fielders. From Brandon Marsh and Cristian Pache in the majors to Simón Muzziotti in triple A and Johan Rojas in double A, they’re flush at the position.

There’s pressure associated with being a first-round pick and a touted prospect, to say nothing of a former major leaguer’s son. Carl Crawford made his major league debut for the Rays at age 20, led the league in stolen bases at age 21, and played in the All-Star Game at 22.

For Justin, the comparisons will be inevitable. They could also overwhelm.

“One of the main things he’s going to always have, one of his strengths, is his mental toughness,” Carl Crawford said. “I tell him, ‘Me being your dad, you being a first-rounder, and just how people are, you’re going to have to have a real mental toughness about yourself.’ And he’s got it. Because his mom, she’s got a strong mind, and I’m really strong-minded. He’s kind of got that edge.”

And he’s taken the events of the past year in stride, culminating with the trip to Seattle — and perhaps an encounter with Griffey.

“Coming into it, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Crawford said. “I’ve never played this many games in my life. Being able to go out and play every day, it’s been really, really good for me. It hasn’t been too much of an adjustment for me, honestly.”