The Philadelphia Phillies don't need Justin Crawford to do too much to impact the big-league team.
With how the Philadelphia Phillies’ roster is shaking out, elite prospect Justin Crawford is in line to get plenty of playing time during spring training, and possibly even into the regular season.
That said, Crawford is still only 22 years old and still has room to grow and develop. He won’t be the best version of himself right away, and the organization is well aware of that, especially manager Rob Thomson.
The Phillies skipper recently spoke about what he’s expecting from Crawford during training camp and eventually into the regular season, and shared the message he sent to the elite prospect about what he must do to make an impact for the Phillies in 2026.
“I had called him when we signed a Adolis Garcia, I called him just to tell him that, ‘Hey, this doesn't affect you at all. You need to come in there, and you need to fight for a spot, and have a feeling like you're a big leaguer. Come in here, relax, be yourself, play your game. Don't try to do something that you're not,’” said Thomson (via Cory Nidoh on X).
“He's gonna hit some home runs at some point, but maybe not right yet, but we want him to get on base, steel bases, do all the little things that he normally does. And if he does that, he's gonna really help the ball club.”
Mar 2, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford (80) signs autographs for fans before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays during spring training at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesClearly, Tomson is cautioning Crawford from coming into spring training and trying to be a player he isn’t. Right now, the outfielder isn’t a power hitter, having only hit 19 career home runs. The Phillies need him to be an on-base machine, which Crawford has proven he can be throughout his career.
Crawford has done nothing but hit since joining the Phillies organization and being selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. The left-handed hitter owns a minor league career OPS of .863 and logged a .334/.411/.452 slash line with 34 extra base hits at Triple-A in 2025.
By every indication, Crawford should be a productive big-league hitter at some point in his career, but that may not happen right away, and growing pains are destined for any rookie player.
If Crawford tries to do too much, as Thomson warns, he’ll only hurt his overall development and potential.
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