Justin Crawford wants to make the Philadelphia Phillies roster on merit, not need.
Right now, Justin Crawford is in line to be the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting center fielder come Opening Day. That said, nothing is a lock, and that’s still a position that the 22-year-old is fighting for during spring training.
Crawford welcomes this competition and wants to earn his spot on the roster rather than have it given to him.
“I’m really just trying to go out there, compete, fight for a spot,” Crawford said on Thursday. “I'm happy to be able to get the opportunity to see to go out there and try to win a job. And I think most importantly, going out there, trying to have some fun, and play hard, and see what happens.”
Whether it is fair or not, there is a lot of outside pressure on Crawford to make an immediate impact for the Phillies both in the field and in the batter’s box.
With the Phillies letting Harrison Bader walk and not adding another outfielder in their championship window, the team is hoping Crawford is the answer for the future, and right now.
Even with all of that noise, Crawford has maintained a consistent mindset since arriving in Clearwater, in what will be the most important six weeks of his professional career to date. The prospect is just controlling what he can control and not trying to do too much, knowing that his time will come.
Crawford has a unique perspective on what it takes to be an everyday big-leaguer and to fight for a roster spot. He recently said that he learned a lot from his dad, four-time All-Star and 15-year veteran, Carl Crawford.
“Obviously, going to the field with my dad and being able to grow up, seeing just his routines, the time, the effort, it takes to really put into it on a daily basis. It definitely helped me in kind of coming into pro ball, help prepare me for that.”
Crawford may not have any big-league experience yet, but he’s treating this opportunity with the Phillies like a veteran, and that mindset is something that can help him throughout his career.
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