Don’t Take the Justin Crawford Spring Training Bait
The Philadelphia Phillies enter spring training hoping for 22-year-old Justin Crawford to earn an everyday spot in the major league outfield. However, his high rate of groundballs at the Triple-A…
The Philadelphia Phillies enter spring training hoping for 22-year-old Justin Crawford to earn an everyday spot in the major league outfield. However, his high rate of groundballs at the Triple-A level made him a polarizing minor league prospect.
Crawford could see more at-bats than any Phillies hitter in Grapefruit League play.
Phillies fans will inevitably scrutinize one of the few new faces entering 2026. However, Ricky Bottalico drew from his own spring training experience and warned against jumping to conclusions about such a specific offensive niche that won’t translate from the Grapefruit League to the major leagues.
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Spring Training Won’t Define Justin Crawford
If the top prospect sends a few hard grounders through the hole in Clearwater exhibition games, Phillies fans will have to fight their instincts of relentless passion. Spring training infields aren’t major league infields.
“Do not take anything, anything out of spring training. I played in spring training for many years... It means absolutely nothing. If you see balls getting hit through the infield down there, the infields are harder down there. The sun bakes those infields, especially once you get to mid-March. You’re going to see some balls go through that probably would not go through when you get back up to the big league stadiums.”
-Ricky Bottalico
Don’t take the bait.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs play-by-play announcer Steve Degler joined Ricky Bo and Bill Colarulo on Unfiltered for a more balanced analysis. He expects Crawford to experience some growing pains. The 2022 first-round pick might struggle to hit consistent line drives before polishing off his big league talent.
“Power is the last tool to develop in these younger hitters. I think he’s a really exciting player and would bring the Phillies lineup something they don’t have a whole lot of right now. He’s a guy that can walk or get a base hit, and before you know it, he’s around the bases and you’re on the scoreboard.”
Crawford mastered Triple-A pitching in 2025 with an impressive .334 batting average and an .863 OPS in 112 games.
However, the precision of defensive information and infield positioning has improved modern MLB defense drastically. The speedy outfielder’s success hitting for average won’t smoothly translate without adjustments at the plate to decrease his groundball rate.
Justin Crawford must face the reality of challenges at the highest level, but passionate fans shouldn’t expect notable long-term corrections during spring training or early in the 2026 season.
