Justin Crawford

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #5 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High.
  
  Track Record: Crawford is the son of longtime big leaguer Carl Crawford and was the Phillies’ first-round pick in 2022 out of high school in Las Vegas. He has produced at every stop, including a .332 average in 2023 and a .313 mark in 2024. He’s been one of the Phillies’ representatives in each of the last two Futures Games. His 143 hits and 42 stolen bases in 2024 were tops in the organization.
  
  Scouting Report: In 2023, Crawford’s nearly 70% groundball rate marred an otherwise excellent season. His groundball rate improved in 2024, but was still quite high at 61% in a year spent between High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading. To lower the rate, Crawford narrowed his stance and stood taller in the box, which helped his bat path on balls down in the zone. There might be a little bit more improvement to come, but Crawford will likely always be a player who makes his bones hitting the ball on the ground and using his speed to leg out singles and snag extra bases. The next step is to use that speed to improve his defense, which scouts believe took a step back in 2024. They were particularly concerned by inefficient route-running masked by the speed that allows him to cover for his mistakes. He took all his defensive reps in center field, which is where he’ll have to stay in order to get the most of his value.
  
  The Future: Crawford’s goals entering 2025 will likely be the same as they were entering 2024: Get the ball in the air more often and become a more efficient outfield defender. If he can do so, he’ll inch closer to his ceiling of a classic leadoff hitter who racks up hits and stolen bases. If not, he might settle in as more of a second-division regular.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #2 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Crawford is the son of 15-year big leaguer and four-time all-star Carl Crawford. The younger Crawford was selected out of high school in Las Vegas in the first round of the 2022 draft. In his first full season, split between Low-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore, Crawford produced a .332 average that was seventh overall in the minors and the best for any player without upper-level experience. He represented Philadelphia in the Futures Game.
  
  Scouting Report: Crawford’s goals entering the year revolved around improving the quality of his at-bats and adding more strength to his lower half. Now, the next step is improving his bat path and catching pitches in front of the strike zone in order to get them in the air more often. He was one of the most extremely groundball-oriented hitters in the minors in 2023, with an average launch angle of -9 degrees and a groundball rate of roughly 70% between both stops. He hits the ball plenty hard--his 90th percentile exit velocity was 103.1 mph--now he needs to get it off the ground. Crawford’s chase rate was a bit high, but his in-zone miss rate of 13.4% was excellent. Defensively, Crawford’s double-plus speed helps him make up plenty of ground in center field, but there’s work to be done to make the most of his capabilities. Presently, his speed helps mask reads, routes and jumps that scouts believe could stand to be sharpened. If he makes those improvements, he could develop into an above-average defender. If he does have to move to a corner, his average arm strength would fit in left field, but his offensive game fits much better in center.
  
  The Future: Crawford’s skill set evokes the classic turn-and-burn hitter at the top of a lineup. He’ll return to High-A in 2024 with a chance at reaching the upper levels by the summertime.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Field: 55 | Arm: 50
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #4 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The son of four-time all-star Carl Crawford, Justin was one of the best athletes in the 2022 draft. He impressed over the 2021 summer showcase circuit and had an excellent senior season at Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High. The Phillies drafted him 17th overall, making him the highest drafted prep position player by the organization since Mickey Moniak went first overall in 2016, and signed him for an over-slot $3.89 million. Crawford started his pro career in the Florida Complex League, hitting .297/.395/.351 in 11 games before finishing the season with a five-game stint at Low-A Clearwater.
  
  Scouting Report: Crawford has a long and lanky, 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame with room to add strength. He began putting on muscle during the fall of his senior year, and it was a continued area of emphasis for him during 2022 instructional league. He has a contact-oriented offensive approach with good bat-to-ball skills, doing a lot of his damage on the ground and to the gaps, with a swing that can get lengthy at times. He has plus-plus speed underway that should allow him to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He shows occasional power, but he struggles at times to get his barrel out and use leverage in his swing. He has below-average juice, with the potential to reach solid-average power with the necessary tweaks and strength gains. Crawford's 70-grade speed allows him to cover a lot of ground in center field, and he's a plus defender there with an average arm.
  
  The Future: Crawford is still raw and is years away from the big leagues, but his exciting blend of tools profiles well as a top-of-the-order bat who provides plus defense in center field. After getting his first taste of full-season ball in 2022, he'll head back to Low-A Clearwater in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 40. Speed: 70. Fielding: 60. Arm: 50.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #18 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas Committed/Drafted: Louisiana State
  Age At Draft: 18.5
  BA Grade: 60/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 70 | Field: 60 | Arm: 50
  In 1999, Carl Crawford was one of the two or three best athletes in the draft class, with a special combination of speed and strength. Several decades later, his son, Justin Crawford, is one of the most impressive athletes in the 2022 draft class. Crawford is much leaner than his father at the same time, with a highly projectable and lanky, 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame that has plenty of room for more strength gains in the future. Crawford showed solid bat-to-ball skills last summer over the showcase circuit, with a slappy approach in games, but sneaky raw power in batting practice given his strength at the time. Scouts noted that Crawford added more muscle throughout the fall and this spring, and he’s started driving the ball with more authority. Crawford has contact skills and will make two-strike adjustments by widening his stance at the plate, but his swing can get lengthy at times, and he’ll need to refine his bat path a bit at the next level. Power should be the last part of his game to develop, and how much he has in the future will depend on how much strength he can add to his frame. Even if he’s never a big power hitter, he should be able to find plenty of extra-base hits by driving balls into the gaps and using his speed on the bases. The industry raved about his performance this spring and he continued to show premium tools. He’s one of the best runners in the class and regularly turns in 70-grade run times, getting out of the box quickly from the left side of the plate and covering tons of ground when underway with long, graceful, loping strides. That speed should allow him to stick in center field, where he has a chance to be an impact defender at the position. Crawford is committed to Louisiana State but has gotten plenty of attention as a prospect in the middle of the first round. Crawford is the latest in a long line of talented prospects produced by Bishop Gorman, including Tyler Whitaker, Austin Wells, Cadyn Grenier and Joey Gallo in the last 10 years.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #44 prospect in 2024
• Ranked Baseball America's #73 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The son of four-time all-star Carl Crawford, Justin was one of the best athletes in the 2022 draft. He impressed over the 2021 summer showcase circuit and had an excellent senior season at Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High. The Phillies drafted him 17th overall, making him the highest drafted prep position player by the organization since Mickey Moniak went first overall in 2016, and signed him for an over-slot $3.89 million. Crawford started his pro career in the Florida Complex League, hitting .297/.395/.351 in 11 games before finishing the season with a five-game stint at Low-A Clearwater.
  
  Scouting Report: Crawford has a long and lanky, 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame with room to add strength. He began putting on muscle during the fall of his senior year, and it was a continued area of emphasis for him during 2022 instructional league. He has a contact-oriented offensive approach with good bat-to-ball skills, doing a lot of his damage on the ground and to the gaps, with a swing that can get lengthy at times. He has plus-plus speed underway that should allow him to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He shows occasional power, but he struggles at times to get his barrel out and use leverage in his swing. He has below-average juice, with the potential to reach solid-average power with the necessary tweaks and strength gains. Crawford's 70-grade speed allows him to cover a lot of ground in center field, and he's a plus defender there with an average arm.
  
  The Future: Crawford is still raw and is years away from the big leagues, but his exciting blend of tools profiles well as a top-of-the-order bat who provides plus defense in center field. After getting his first taste of full-season ball in 2022, he'll head back to Low-A Clearwater in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 40. Speed: 70. Fielding: 60. Arm: 50.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The son of four-time all-star Carl Crawford, Justin was one of the best athletes in the 2022 draft. He impressed over the 2021 summer showcase circuit and had an excellent senior season at Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High. The Phillies drafted him 17th overall, making him the highest drafted prep position player by the organization since Mickey Moniak went first overall in 2016, and signed him for an over-slot $3.89 million. Crawford started his pro career in the Florida Complex League, hitting .297/.395/.351 in 11 games before finishing the season with a five-game stint at Low-A Clearwater.
  
  Scouting Report: Crawford has a long and lanky, 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame with room to add strength. He began putting on muscle during the fall of his senior year, and it was a continued area of emphasis for him during 2022 instructional league. He has a contact-oriented offensive approach with good bat-to-ball skills, doing a lot of his damage on the ground and to the gaps, with a swing that can get lengthy at times. He has plus-plus speed underway that should allow him to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He shows occasional power, but he struggles at times to get his barrel out and use leverage in his swing. He has below-average juice, with the potential to reach solid-average power with the necessary tweaks and strength gains. Crawford's 70-grade speed allows him to cover a lot of ground in center field, and he's a plus defender there with an average arm.
  
  The Future: Crawford is still raw and is years away from the big leagues, but his exciting blend of tools profiles well as a top-of-the-order bat who provides plus defense in center field. After getting his first taste of full-season ball in 2022, he'll head back to Low-A Clearwater in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 40. Speed: 70. Fielding: 60. Arm: 50.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  
  August Update: In 1999, Carl Crawford was one of the two or three best athletes in the draft class, with a special combination of speed and strength. Several decades later, his son, Justin Crawford, is one of the most impressive athletes in the 2022 draft class. Crawford is much leaner than his father at the same time, with a highly projectable and lanky, 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame that has plenty of room for more strength gains in the future. Crawford showed solid bat-to-ball skills last summer over the showcase circuit, with a slappy approach in games, but sneaky raw power in batting practice given his strength at the time. Scouts noted that Crawford added more muscle throughout the fall and this spring, and he&#39s started driving the ball with more authority. Crawford has contact skills and will make two-strike adjustments by widening his stance at the plate, but his swing can get lengthy at times, and he&#39ll need to refine his bat path a bit at the next level. Power should be the last part of his game to develop, and how much he has in the future will depend on how much strength he can add to his frame. Even if he&#39s never a big power hitter, he should be able to find plenty of extra-base hits by driving balls into the gaps and using his speed on the bases. The industry raved about his performance this spring and he continued to show premium tools. He&#39s one of the best runners in the class and regularly turns in 70-grade run times, getting out of the box quickly from the left side of the plate and covering tons of ground when underway with long, graceful, loping strides. That speed should allow him to stick in center field, where he has a chance to be an impact defender at the position.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 45. Run: 70. Field: 60. Arm: 50.