Phillies draft high school outfielder Justin Crawford, son of ex-major leaguer Carl Crawford

LOS ANGELES — For as long as he can remember, Justin Crawford wanted to play baseball just like his famous father. So, he volunteered for the outfield and hit left-handed, even though he does everything else with his right.

And then there was that distinctive batting stance.

“It used to get on my mom’s nerves so much,” said Crawford, whose front leg would jut out behind him and point to the first-base dugout, just like his dad, Carl. “Because I’d go up there striking out trying to hit exactly like him.”

But hey, if it worked for your dad, and if your dad was a .290 hitter and four-time All-Star in a 15-year major league career, why do anything else?

Eventually, Crawford found his own stance. And the Phillies selected him Sunday night with the 17th pick in the Major League Baseball draft — 35 slots before the Tampa Bay Devil Rays took his dad in 1999 — because they believe he will be his own player.

“No offense to Carl, who was a superstar in the major leagues for a long time,” Phillies scouting director Brian Barber said, “I think Justin is a lot more advanced defensively than Carl was at that time. He’s an absolutely no-doubt center fielder in the future, and I think it’s going to be an elite defensive center fielder.”

Crawford, 18, was the third son of a former All-Star outfielder to go in the opening round after Jackson Holliday and Druw Jones, the first two picks by the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively. Baseball America pegged Crawford as the 18th-best draft prospect.

The Phillies, who tracked him since the spring of 2021 at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, were just hoping he would be on the board when their turn came up. They wasted little time in announcing their pick.

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And although Crawford has a commitment to LSU, Barber said the Phillies “feel good” about their chances of signing him and getting him into their farm system later this summer. The slot value for a 17th pick is $3.79 million. But the Phillies forfeited their second-round pick after signing Nick Castellanos as a free agent and have $6.3 million to spend on signing bonuses, the 27th-largest pool among the 30 teams.

It marks the third year in a row that the Phillies selected a high school player. In 2020, Barber’s first season with the Phillies, they took right-hander Mick Abel with the No. 15 pick. Last year, they chose right-hander Andrew Painter with the 13th overall selection.

But Crawford’s age belies his knowledge of the inner workings of the game. He practically grew up in major league clubhouse, following his dad from Tampa Bay to the Boston Red Sox, and finally the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s too young to remember if he traveled to Philadelphia for the 2008 World Series (he was 4 years old at the time), but figures he was probably there. He does recall throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before a Rays game.

“I think it was in the postseason,” he said. “I remember doing that as a little kid.”

Crawford even counts several of his dad’s former teammates among his friends, including infielder Dee Strange-Gordon and outfielder Joc Pederson, who will start the All-Star Game for the National League on Tuesday night.

“I just remember as a little kid, back when my dad was with the Dodgers,” Crawford said, “[Pederson] was always the coolest dude to me and just treated me like one of the guys.”

At 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, Crawford is taller and leaner than his father at the same age. Barber described Carl Crawford as “more physical than Justin is at this point,” but the Phillies also believe the younger Crawford will develop more power once his body matures and he begins a weight-training program.

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The Phillies were drawn to Crawford’s contact skills at the plate. And there’s a sense that he’s a more polished overall player than his dad at the same age.

“That’s kind of something my dad’s told me,” Crawford said. “That’s been one of our biggest goals, to be as polished as I can, not have to rely on just my raw athleticism. It’s something that I know can take me a long way.”

But the biggest similarity between father and son is the speed on the bases. They have nearly the same upright running stride. It suited Carl well. He led the league in triples and steals four times apiece and finished his career with 123 triples and 480 stolen bases, 95th and 43rd, respectively, all-time.

So, who’s faster: father or son?

“I think I’d have to go with myself,” Justin said, laughing. “I know if you asked my dad he’ll probably say he could beat me running backwards. But I think I’ve got him now.”

There is another Phillies connection for Crawford. They drafted his dad’s cousin, J.P. Crawford, in the first round in 2013. J.P. made his major league debut with the Phillies in 2017, got traded after the 2018 season, and is now the Seattle Mariners shortstop.

“I think we’re getting an athlete, for sure, with good tools,” Barber said. “The makeup is through the roof with this kid. He really has so many things that we’re looking for in a player to come into the system. I just really couldn’t be more excited to bring him in.”