Phillies select Justin Crawford in first round of 2022 draft

A second-generation player is heading to Philly.

The Philadelphia Phillies selected outfielder Justin Crawford in the first round of this year’s Major League Baseball draft on Sunday night, taking the son of former All-Star Carl Crawford with the 17th overall selection.

Justin Crawford is a center fielder lauded for his speed and ability to hit for contact. He attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.

Crawford’s father played for the Tampa Bay Rays when the Phillies defeated the American League champs in the 2008 World Series. J.P. Crawford, a distant cousin of Carl, was drafted by the Phillies in the first round of the 2013 draft and played in Philadelphia from 2017-2018.

The Phillies took a different route with their selection of Crawford than in previous years by taking a position player with their first choice. The team had selected two consecutive high school pitchers in the first round after Brian Barber was hired as amateur scouting director after the 2019 season, drafting Mick Abel in 2020 and Andrew Painter in 2021.

Philadelphia does not have a second-round pick in the draft on Sunday, surrendering it when the team signed outfielder Nick Castellanos as a free agent. The Phillies’ next pick will come in the third round as Day 2 commences on Monday afternoon.

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