Justin

Crawford

Crawford has started to get the green light more over the past couple of weeks -- he’s now up to eight stolen bases in 56 games, which isn’t nothing. The two-hit attack ups his line to .232/.295/.339. He’d probably need to start stealing much more to be a fantasy baseball factor, but his defense and speed seem to have assured his lineup spot for the time being.

Crawford accounted for the only run Philadelphia could muster. The rookie center fielder did so in the home park where his dad once played, though it wasn’t exactly a memorable tenure for him. Crawford is hitting a respectable .273/.343/.413 through his first 38 big league games and also has four stolen bases.

Crawford grabs a seat on the bench following his strongest performance of the season on Friday when he went 3-for-4 with his first career home run and two RBI. The 22-year-old rookie center fielder has supplied a strong batting average, as expected due to his speed, but he’s run a lot less than fantasy managers were hoping with just three thefts through 34 games. Brandon Marsh is in center field with Edmundo Sosa heading out to left field to face Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland on Saturday night.

Crawford would have been the hero tonight if the Phillies had prevailed, but they lost in 11. Crawford’s homer, a 361-fly into the second row in right, completed a five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth to make it a 7-7 game. He should be good for a handful more of those over the course of the season, but to help much in fantasy leagues, he really needs to start stealing bases. He’s just 3-for-5 through 34 games. Last year, he was 46-for-57 in 112 games in Triple-A.

Adolis García is shifting over to center field with Felix Reyes and Garrett Stubbs in the corners. Crawford is presumably day-to-day heading into Sunday’s series finale. The 22-year-old rookie is hitting .269/.340/.376 with eight runs scored, zero homers, six RBI and two steals in 28 games.

One of Crawford’s three singles was a line drive. Another was a bunt with men on first and second with two outs. And, finally, his walkoff hit was a grounder deep in the hole that he beat out by a step. It hasn’t all been bad in Crawford’s first month in the majors — he’s hitting .267/.337/.349. But the speed has yet to translate into the sort of stolen bases that would make him fantasy-interesting. He was thrown out for the second time today and has just two steals so far.

It’d be nice if the Phillies gave Crawford a chance at hitting a little higher in the order. He’s batting .283/.377/.400, and he’d probably be more of a factor on the basepaths hitting in front of weaker hitters. Right now, he’s just 1-for-2 stealing bases in 20 games. Last year, he was 46-for-57 in 112 games in Triple-A.

The double was a 190-foot popup in no man’s land down the left-field line, but good things are happening when Crawford puts the ball into play; he has a .452 BABIP that’s led to a .316 average in 42 plate appearances. The Phillies have kept him locked into the ninth spot in their lineup so far, but they might want to try something different soon. Just bumping him up to sixth or seventh might be a good call, since he could do more running in front of the likes of J.T. Realmuto and Bryson Stott than he’s been comfortable with when Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber are up.

Justin Crawford stole a base mere moments after Giancarlo Stanton swiped his first base of 2026. They’re basically the same player. Crawford has elite speed, and assuming he continues to get on base at a decent rate, he should have a couple dozen more before the end of the year, at least.

The Nationals were up 5-1 midway through the seventh, but the Phillies scored in four straight innings from there. Crawford’s game-winner was a shot to second that might have been handled with the fielder playing back. As is, Nasim Nuñez was in on the grass with the winning run on third and really had no chance. Crawford is off to a 7-for-17 start to begin his major league career. The RBI today was his first. He’s yet to attempt a steal, but one imagines that will change soon.