Preston Mattingly explains what makes Phillies’ Paul Owens Award winners stand out

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

The Phillies rewarded two prospects for rising to Double-A in their system, naming them the recipients of their top minor-league award for the 2024 season.

Former first-round pick Justin Crawford and right-hander Eiberson Castellano were selected as the Paul Owens Award winners, the team announced Tuesday. The award is given to the top minor-league position player and pitcher in Philadelphia’s organization each year.

Following the announcement, Phillies manager Rob Thomson spoke highly of the reports he had been given of the two players.

“Crawford’s had a great year,” Thomson told reporters. “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.”

Phillies assistant general manager and farm director Preston Mattingly went more in depth about both Crawford and Castellano in a conversation with Phillies Nation at Citizens Bank Park.

Crawford, drafted by the Phillies at No. 17 overall in 2022, started the year in High-A Jersey Shore and earned a promotion to Double-A Reading in the second half. The outfielder played in this summer’s All-Star Futures Game and batted .313 in 100 minor-league games. The organization has been pleased with his maturity and preparation, huge factors behind his performance.

“Justin, to me, is another young kid who just turned 20 this year and finished the year in Double-A,” Mattingly said. “He’s a guy that was an electric athlete, could defend center field, good base stealer. He stole 40-plus bases this year. And I think the most proud I am of Justin is just how committed he is to his routine every day.”

The son of former All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford, Justin Crawford has an advanced hit tool and game-changing speed already in the early stages of his career. He’s still quite young and has moved through the system fairly quickly. His progress has been notable, and Mattingly believes the young left-handed hitter will only have more opportunities to get better as the years go on.

“I think we think with Justin, there’s a lot more room for growth, too,” he said. “He’s still growing into his body. He’s going to get a lot stronger as he gets older.”

Crawford tends to hit the ball on the ground a lot, which Mattingly said the team can accept; his speed can make that a bit less of an issue. Still, he’ll need to hit more line drives to reach his full potential. The Phillies saw a bit of an improvement in that aspect of Crawford’s game as he hit nine home runs, 25 doubles and four triples this season.

“A lot more contact and line drives,” Mattingly said. “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.”

Castellano posted a 3.99 ERA in 103 2/3 innings across 22 games (20 starts) in the minors this season. A teammate of Crawford’s with the BlueClaws and Fightins as he also moved up to Reading, the hard-throwing righty doubled his previous career high in innings while finding a more consistent routine as a starter. It wasn’t perfect as he missed time on the injured list in the summer and again to end the minor-league season, but Castellano managed to mostly withstand the obstacles and find success.

“That was kind of the thing that he struggled with,” Mattingly said, “was just staying healthy. So, we think some of the extra lean mass he added helped him kind of get through the year and put together a good season.”

Castellano, 23, was originally signed as an international free agent by the Phillies in 2018. Mattingly was impressed with the pitcher’s increased velocity in 2024, which allowed him to record more strikeouts. It’s a great stepping stone to build upon moving forward.

Both prospects had memorable seasons in the minor leagues, landing them a prestigious award within the Phillies organization. The club’s decision to recognize Crawford and Castellano could serve as a nice boost within the players’ evolution.

“Every award we’ve given out, it’s very impactful to, hopefully, their growth, their confidence, their development,” Mattingly said.