Is Elite Prospect Justin Crawford the Answer to the Phillies Outfield Woes?

While the calendar has yet to hit may, there’s some cause for concern – concern, not panic– in the Philadelphia Phillies outfield. 

Opening Day starter Brandon Marsh, who has the reputation of being iffy at best against left-handed hitters, is 0-for-April and was benched by manager Rob Thomson heading into the start of Monday’s series against the San Francisco Giants in an effort to clear his mind. 

Rob Thomson says he is going to give Brandon Marsh, potentially, up to three days off to “give him a mental, physical blow.” pic.twitter.com/dN8ztOVbzS

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) April 14, 2025

Marsh’s replacement, Johan Rojas, is mired in a slump himself. The 24-year-old 0-for his last ten at-bats with a walk, an RBI, and five strikeouts. In fact, he hasn’t gotten a hit since his two-hit performance on April 2 against Colorado. And while Rojas has never been known as a stellar hitter, he’s been praised for his range and outfield acumen in the field. But even that is beginning to show cracks in the foundation. 

go phillies. pic.twitter.com/sQj4FWNIKR

— Absolutely Hammered (@ah_pod) April 8, 2025

Desperate for anything, the Phillies have turned to utility infielder Edmundo Sosa to play the outfield at times. Sosa, who had not started a game in the outfield in two seasons was tapped to start earlier this month because he was swinging a hot bat. Sosa’s bat has cooled down, 1-for-7 with strikeouts over the last week, and while he’s athletic, he’s a liability in the outfield. 

Phillies outfielders are currently slashing .225/.315/.369 with five homers, 18 RBI, eight doubles, and a .684 OPS. Most of that is thanks to Nick Castellanos who’s ripping the cover off the ball. The often-embattled right fielder is slashing .310/.365/.522 with three dingers, 11 RBI, five doubles with a .917 OPS.  

Again, it’s early so it’s not time to panic but the Phillies should be looking at “in case of emergency break glass” options in the outfield. 

One of those options just happens to be patrolling centerfield in Lehigh Valley.

Is Justin Crawford the Answer?

Justin Crawford, 21, has quickly risen up the ranks of the Phillies minor league system since being drafted 17th overall out of Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) High School in the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft. 

The son of 15-year Major League veteran Carl Crawford, the younger Crawford is considered to be one of the best fielders in minor league baseball. In addition to his fielding prowess, Crawford has shown the ability to drive the ball and get on base at a high rate.

He’s your prototypical center fielder.

One argument against Crawford would be his current performance with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The No. 60 prospect in all of minor league baseball, Crawford is slashing .254/.302/.339 with one double, two triples, and seven RBI in 14 games at Triple-A. Yes, those numbers are down from his career minor league average of .312/.367/.436, but the sample size is small. The belief is Crawford will continue to adjust to Triple-A pitching and thus back closer to his career numbers. 

The Phillies have a long history of waiting too long to bring prospects up from the minor leagues because they’re “blocked” by big league contracts players. A few recent (okay, recent-ish) examples are Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Utley was blocked by Placido Polanco who, at the time, allegedly didn’t want to shift to third base and Howard was blocked by the recently signed Jim Thome. While the duo ultimately arrived and became part of the Phillies nucleus of success from 2007-2011, it makes you wonder would the window have been open longer if they arrived sooner?

Learn from your past or your doomed to repeat it, right?

This Phillies group has their own window that isn’t getting any bigger. The club brass shouldn’t wait too long betting on the players they currently have on the roster – regardless of how great they are as teammates – and should “break the glass” sooner rather than later.