Justin Carl Crawford (born January 13, 2004) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

organization.

Amateur career

Crawford spent his freshman year of high school at Rolling Hills Preparatory School in Torrance, California before transferring to Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a sophomore. As a junior in 2021, he batted .525. In 2022, as a senior, he batted .503 with five home runs, 52 RBIs, and twenty stolen bases. The ''

Las Vegas Sun The ''Las Vegas Sun'' is one of the Las Vegas Valley's two daily Subscription business model, subscription newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group. The paper published afternoons on weekdays ...

'' named him their Male Athlete of the Year. He ended the season as a top prospect for the upcoming draft. Crawford committed to play college baseball at the University of Arizona, but switched his commitment to Louisiana State University.

Professional career

The

selected Crawford in the first round with the 17th overall selection of the

2022 Major League Baseball draft The 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place on July 17–19, 2022, in Los Angeles. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The draft order was based on the reverse order of the 2021 ...

. He signed with the team for $3.89 million. To open the 2023 season, Crawford was assigned to the

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 2 ...

. He was selected to represent the Phillies at the 2023

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

. In mid-August, he was promoted to the

Jersey Shore BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locati ...

. Over 87 games with the two teams, he batted .332 with three home runs, 64 RBIs, and 47 stolen bases. He was chosen for the Florida State League Most Valuable Player Award and Top MLB Prospect Award for his performance with Clearwater.

Personal life

Crawford's father,

Carl Crawford Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "The Perfect Storm", is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He ba ...

, played 14 seasons of Major League Baseball. His second cousin,

J. P. Crawford John Paul Crawford (born January 11, 1995) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). After growing up in Lakewood, California, Crawford attended Lakewood High School, where he achi ...

, also a Phillies first-round pick, currently plays for the Seattle Mariners.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Justin 2004 births Living people Baseball players from Nevada Baseball outfielders Bishop Gorman High School alumni African-American baseball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople Florida Complex League Phillies players Clearwater Threshers players