By: Johnny Cruz

With spring just around the corner, that means Phillies’ baseball is inching closer to returning. After a devastating playoff series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last October, the Phillies will try to redeem themselves this season in hopes of another potential World Series run. They are joined this year by Justin Crawford, a sensational young prospect who can positively help their struggles in the outfield.  

Justin Crawford was drafted with the 17th overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft by the Phillies. Originally committed to LSU, Crawford decided to go right to the majors from High School. Batting a whopping 490 batting average with 1.346 ops for Bishop Gorman High School in his senior year. Crawford is already used to being around the major league scene. JP Crawford is Justin’s second cousin who currently plays for the Seattle Mariners. His father, Carl Crawford, played for many teams and was a 4x all-star in his career. 

The Phillies are in need of a major youth boost. Last year, the Phillies had an average age of 30.17, which ranks 6th in all the major leagues. At just 22 years old, Crawford will bring young legs wherever the Phillies choose to put him in the outfield. With just a couple of weeks left until opening day, the team is getting back into the groove for spring training.  

The Phillies have played 11 spring training games so far this season. In those 11 games, Crawford has shown signs of improvement and star potential. Batting an average of .316 with 6 hits in 19 plate appearances. Writer for OnPattison.com Tim Kelly had this to say about Crawford’s play, “Crawford has already shown how electric he could be with his speed if he’s able to get hits.” 

Crawford still has a lot to prove with his power at the plate, having yet to homer in any of his appearances so far this spring. Nonetheless, it is predicted that power will be improved down the line, the more he is used to major league ballparks. Not to mention, his speed and skill of getting on base are already on an elite level at his age and will only get better as time goes on.  

March 26th at 4:05 in the afternoon, will mark the first game for the Philadelphia Phillies as they will take on the Texas Rangers at home. There are a lot of high hopes for this team to get another shot at the playoffs and attempt to win it all. This game will be the first we see of Justin Crawford. Will he pan out to be disappointing? Or do the Phillies have a potential superstar on their hands? From what we have seen in Spring Training, signs point to a bright future for the young outfielder.     

Johnny Cruz is a first-year student who is majoring in Criminal Justice. He reads, writes, and has a deep love for movies. Johnny will be graduating from Holy Family University in the Spring of 2029 and will be pursuing a career in law.