The Phillies batboy has become a fan favorite for a lot more than just his hustle
“There’s nothing more special than Red October and playoff baseball in the city of Philadelphia.”
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/JGKASDFO65GOFESAEIINHBYLRY.jpg)
On a team as colorful as the Phillies, it could be hard for a batboy to stand out. But not Adam Crognale, the 25-year-old Temple grad — and cancer survivor — who has earned fans’ respect for his hustle. Clips of Crognale sprinting onto the field to collect a bat or player’s batting gloves have gone viral. Even a couple Eagles players gave Crognale a shout-out during a recent game.
I spoke with Crognale, a lifelong Phillies fan from Cherry Hill, who has been the team batboy since 2020, about the thrill of working for his hometown team, why exactly he runs so fast, and what it was like to get a necklace from José Alvarado. Crognale, who overcame a Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma diagnosis at age 15, and has been cancer free for nine years, talked about how his experience with the disease shapes his approach.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
So what do I call you? ‘Batboy’?
My official title would be clubhouse staff / batboy. But I’m the only batboy on the team.
Is 25 old for the job?
I try not to dwell on my age, but I know that the Dodgers’ batboy is in his 30s. The title of batboy is really misconstrued. We’re there 12 hours a day.
It must be cool being the same age as some of the players?
Yeah, some of the guys that are playing everyday, who are fan favorites — [Brandon] Marsh, [Bryson] Stott, [Alec] Bohm — we’re all around the same age. We have similar perspectives.
Do you feel like part of the team?
I’m not on the roster, but they make me feel welcome and that I can be myself. That’s a really special feeling to have.
José Alvarado made necklaces for the team — and one for you, too.
I was obviously touched to get one. I wear it and some of the guys still wear it. Marsh wears his a lot, and Harper wears his.
Do the players know about your experience with cancer?
A good amount of them do and they’re supportive. They see the type of person I am, and I take pride in that.
You studied journalism and have talked about wanting to be a broadcaster.
You get a different perspective on life when you’re laying in those hospital beds. I’m really just riding this wave, and I know that I’m showing up at this clubhouse at a really great time to be here. Ultimately, I do want to be a part of the Phillies moving forward.
How does the batboy help a team win?
I know I’m not playing and making any of the outs happen, but I believe that every person has an impact on the team, whether it’s the staff or, in my case, the batboy in the dugout. If I put their stuff where they need it, the next time they come to bat, that’s out of their mind.
Who likes what where?
J.T. [Realmuto] has a certain cubby in the dugout where he wants his stuff. Bryce [Harper] always sits in the same spot on the bench, right next to the cubbies. So of course his stuff is in the first cubby next to the bench.
What’s something people don’t know about the life of the batboy?
Cleaning cleats. Me and clubhouse attendant Tim Schmidt take a lot of pride in making them look as new as possible after every game. Sometimes they come back from road trips and they don’t look as clean. Not everybody does it up to our code.
You’ve become a hit with fans for how fast you sprint onto the field.
I take pride in being fast — it’s part of showing how much I care. Our local broadcasters — Tom McCarthy and John Kruk — they say it all the time that I’m the fastest batboy in the league.
You’ve even gone viral a few times.
I’m humbled by it. Honestly, I look at it the same way players look at their stats. Once you get a reputation, and it’s a good reputation, you want to keep it. I don’t want people to say one day, ‘Oh, he got slower.’”
D’Andre Swift and Terrell Edmunds from the Eagles gave you a shout-out in a hilarious TikTok video from a recent game.
(Laughing) Yeah, my friends sent it to me. They literally put me in the little TikTok video. It was pretty sick.
You have the dugout view. What moments stick out?
The Rhys Hoskins bat spike last postseason is probably my favorite moment. Rhys was one of the first people when I got the job to say “welcome.” Everything you hear about Rhys Hoskins in the media is true. He’s such an amazing person and really is a leader in the clubhouse. So for him to get that moment was just so special. From my view on the dugout steps, I had a direct shot of that being launched into left field. The perfect view right off the bat.
What about this year?
When Trea [Turner] got that ovation. I think that was a moment when even the new guys realized that this city has your back no matter what.
What’s it like when the Bank is at its loudest?
It just fires me up. I think I run even faster. It’s like, “This is who we are. We are literally the best fan base and nobody can take that away.” It’s just unreal. People nationwide want to watch this team and this ballpark. There’s nothing more special than Red October and playoff baseball in the city of Philadelphia.
Do you ever imagine what it would be like to win the World Series?
I’m not a crier, but I think I might. The idea of being on a parade float, it would honestly be a dream come true. When you have the life I’ve had, when you hear cancer, and you think, “Am I going to die?” If we won, if that was part of my life, I don’t even know what else could possibly top that.