Top prospect Justin Crawford eager to join Phillies after award-winning season: ‘I want to be here next year’

Justin Crawford was named a Phillies’ Paul Owens Award winner. (Ty Daubert, Phillies Nation)

Justin Crawford got a small taste of the big leagues on Wednesday as the Phillies honored the former first-round pick as their top minor-league hitter for the 2024 season. He was brought out to Citizens Bank Park for the last regular-season home game of the year. He spoke to reporters in the first-base dugout. The experience made the young outfielder eager to make his way to Philadelphia permanently.

“Most definitely,” Crawford said. “Since I first got drafted here, I’m always like, ‘All right, I want to get to Philly as fast as I can.’ Kind of just trying to take it one day at a time and constantly trying to get better is something I’m trying to do. One day, hopefully, when the time is right, I’ll be here.”

On Tuesday, the Phillies named Crawford and pitcher Eiberson Castellano the recipients of the organization’s Paul Owens Award, given to the top position player and pitcher in the team’s minor-league system each year. The two started the year in High-A and rose to Double-A by the end of the season. They made an impression on those in Philadelphia.

“Crawford’s had a great year,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He moved up a couple of levels and was able to swing the bat wherever he was at. Castellano, from what I hear, has a really good arm and really good stuff.”

The team had Crawford and Castellano come to Philadelphia to be presented with their awards in front of the fans. The award holds significance within the organization and is a reflection of the dedication and improvement the two have displayed.

“It means everything,” Crawford said of being named a Paul Owens Award winner. “Just finally being able to kind of get recognized a little bit for being here and all the hard work I’ve put in, and just being able to get recognized for award like that and just being mentioned for an award like that is something that’s really humbling to me. It’s just something that I’m really grateful for, just knowing that there’s more work that has to be done and just trying to constantly still get better.”

The No. 17 overall selection by the Phillies in 2022 and son of former All-Star Carl Crawford, Justin Crawford batted .313 with nine home runs, 25 doubles, nine triples and 42 stolen bases in 110 minor-league games this season. He possesses impact speed on the bases and defensively in center field. He’s shown to be a dynamic player in his time in the minors.

Crawford has risen a level in each of his three professional seasons. After a strong start in High-A Jersey Shore, he participated in this summer’s MLB All-Star Futures Game. He joined Double-A Reading following that break, a proud accomplishment for the 20-year-old.

“I was really excited,” he said of his promotion to the Eastern League. “That was one of my goals this year: to be able to get up there and being able to do that and be able to go have success. That’s something that I was very happy about.”

While advancing through the system, Crawford made signs of progress this season. The lean 6-foot-2 center fielder got stronger, coming into the season at around 192 pounds and finishing at about 188. He’ll look to start next year at around 200 pounds.

He also made some improvements at the plate. The knack on Crawford’s game is that he hits too many ground balls. On one hand, the left-handed hitter is quick enough to beat out a lot of grounders. But many of those hits will likely turn into outs against major-league infielders. He still ran a high ground-ball rate in 2024, but the quality of contact was better than the year prior.

“A lot more contact and line drives,” Phillies assistant general manager and farm director Preston Mattingly told Phillies Nation on Tuesday. “He hit more home runs this year, drove more balls in the gap. And I think when he does that, he’s got a chance to be a special player. Just because of his speed, every ball in the gap’s essentially a triple, so he’s got a chance to have a high upside.”

Following the longest season of his young career, Crawford will take a few weeks to unwind before gearing back up to play for Team USA. He’ll represent the United States in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 tournament that begins in November, starting the event in Mexico and heading to Japan if the team can advance.

After that, he’ll get ready for next spring, hoping to potentially earn an invite to major-league camp. He knows he can only control so much, but he wants to keep turning heads in the Phillies organization. The outfield appears to be pretty set in Philadelphia for next year, and Crawford could likely still use some polishing in the minors. But he has some lofty ambitions for 2025, and you never know how a season will play out.

“I want to be here next year,” Crawford said. “Obviously, got to come out ready to play, ready to go and get stronger. Really just trying to improve everything, because everything always has room for improvement. Trying to come out ready to go for spring training and then whatever happens (is) whatever happens.”

Tim Kelly contributed to this report.