Justin Crawford

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Justin Carl Crawford

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Biographical Information[edit]

Outfielder Justin Crawford is the son of Carl Crawford. He attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV, famed for producing a number of major league players in recent years, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 17th pick of the first round of the 2022 amateur draft. He gave up a commitment to attend Louisiana State University in order to sign with the Phils and he made his professional debut that same year, playing 11 games for the FCL Phillies and another 5 with the Clearwater Threshers of the Florida State League, hitting a combined .333.

In 2023, as one of the youngest players to start the year in the full-season minors, he began the season with Clearwater, then was promoted to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws of the South Atlantic League after 69 games. In all, he appeared in 87 games, hitting .332/.392/.467, with 71 runs, 64 RBIs and 47 stolen bases in 55 attempts. He was named to play in the 2023 Futures Game, was voted the MVP of the Florida State League as well as the league's top prospect and a postseason All-Star. He was also named a Low-A All-Star. For all that, he was considered not to have reached his full potential, as most observers expected him to develop significant power as he aged and put on more muscle mass. He played two more full seasons in the minors before making his big league debut. In 2024 he played 110 games between the Jersey Shore BlueClaws and Reading Fightin Phils, combining to hit .313/.360/.444 with 9 homers and 61 RBIs. He played in the 2024 Futures Game. In 2025, he spent a full season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the AAA International League where he hit .334 in 112 games, with 88 runs, 7 homers and 47 RBIs. he also stole 46 bases in 57 attempts. He finished third in the league in batting average and was second in hits with 147, but led the circuit in runs and stolen bases.

He was the starting centerfielder for the Phillies on Opening Day in 2026, batting 9th against the Texas Rangers. He had a good first game, getting a pair of hits and scoring a run in a 5-3 win.

While he has often been compared to his father, given both are gifted with tremendous speed and athleticism, are high contact hitters and excellent defensive outfielders, the younger Crawford was actually more polished when he turned pro, as his father had been a multi-sport athlete who played a lot of football in his youth. In contrast, Justin had been concentrating solely on baseball for a number of years by the time he was drafted.

Notable Achievements[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • Adam Berry: "Best of Justin Crawford, son of Carl, yet to come", mlb.com, July 17, 2022. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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