Justin Crawford could be the Phillies’ next call-up from the minots. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB … More
It looks like the skidding Phillies are ready to dig into their farm system to find a spark after calling up pitching prospects, Mick Abel and Seth Johnson, on Sunday. Abel, who aced his audition on May 18 with six-shutout innings against the Pirates in a spot start, will get slotted into the rotation while Johnson could get high-leverage innings for a depleted bullpen that’s gasping after losing Jose Alvarado to an 80-game PED suspension.
So who will be the next Phillies prospect to get the call? How about Justin Crawford? The 21-year-old kid is peaking right now. In his last 21 games, Crawford is hitting .363 with 11 stolen bases. Overall against Triple-A pitching this season, he boasts a .338 average and has 20 swiped bags while playing supreme defense in the outfield. Check out this sliding beaut:
Crawford’s skeptics, however, will point to an elevated ground-ball rate (63.8%) and his next-to-nil power (only one home run) as reasons to leave him in the minors. But the former first-round pick is hardly the second-coming of slap-hitting Juan Pierre. Crawford’s line-drive rate at 22.7% is the highest of his minor-league career, and his max-exit velocity (110.7 mph) tops that of Phillies centerfielder Brandon Marsh (108.2 mph) for the season.
Another facet to Crawford’s game is evolving in 2025: his patience at the plate. He’s walking 10.7% of the time, up from 6.1% against Double-A pitching last year, boosting his on-base percentage to an elite level at .407.
So it’s a simple equation, yes? Crawford’s superior on-base skills + his Flash-esque speed = immense value for the Phillies. Especially considering offensive production from Philly’s outfielders has been lackluster at best.
Currently, there’s a blockade to Crawford’s promotion: The team has not one but two centerfielders in the Marsh-Johan Rojas platoon, but neither Marsh nor Rojas is the answer in center, and Phillies higher-ups know that.
Crawford could eliminate the need for a CF platoon if his unbelievable reverse splits carry over to the big leagues. The left-handed-hitting Crawford is batting .306 against right-handers and .455 against lefties this season. And the kid peppers all fields; check out this opposite-field flare:
For the immediate future, it seems that only an injury to an outfielder would prompt Crawford’s call-up. Or the Phils could possibly demote reserve OF Weston Wilson to clear space for Crawford, but that probably won’t happen with Wilson being one of the few right-handed options on the bench.
But the Phillies are skidding, losers of four in a row. And the team may figure out a way to get Crawford’s speed-and-contact game onto the big club. When Philly called up Abel and Johnson, it became obvious the team wants to infuse the pitching ranks with some youth. And if they’re looking to do the same with the lineup, it’s easy to see the next move: Call up Crawford to provide a spark.
