Has your opinion on Justin Crawford changed since the season began?

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Jun 15, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford (2) reacts after hitting an RBI single against the Miami Marlins in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Phillies came into the 2026 season with an almost unprecedented number of players returning to the team yet again for another year. However, one player that was new was Justin Crawford, as it was all but guaranteed that the top prospect would be the Phillies starting center fielder to begin 2026. And that’s exactly what happened, as Crawford made his MLB debut on Opening Day and is still with the Phillies as we creep closer to the All-Star break.

Crawford was and is a polarizing player. The merits of his skill set and approach have been hotly debated as he progressed through the Phillies minor league system. Some believed that his groundball heavy hitter’s profile and low walk rates coupled with moderately high strikeout rates would make it difficult for Crawford to be a productive major leaguer. Others believed that his speed and ability to make contact coupled with good exit velocities would make him into a regular for a contending team.

Well, we are now 73 games into Justin Crawford’s MLB career as of yesterday. He’s slashing .243/.301/.339 with two home runs and nine stolen bases. Crawford started the year off well enough, hitting .267 with a .700 OPS through his first month in the big leagues. But he cratered in May, hitting just .195 with a .565 OPS as the Phillies began to platoon him to keep him away from left-handed pitching, against which he’s hitting .143 with a .374 OPS and a strikeout rate of 23.1%. He’s had a better June, hitting .275 with a .648 OPS through 18 games played as of June 24th. When things have gone well, Crawford’s contact ability and speed have been a welcome addition to the bottom of the Phillies lineup. When things have gone poorly, Crawford has been an automatic out and a black hole of offensive production with uncompetitive strikeouts.

Defensively, Crawford has been uneven at best, as he still looks like an unfinished product in center. Defensive metrics have their own biases and limitations, especially at this point in a season, but Crawford currently grades out as one of the worst defenders in baseball by defensive runs saved (-6) while being below average in outs above average (-2) and fielding run value (-2). By the eye test, Crawford has made some spectacular plays in center but has also struggled with routes at times and missed balls that should have been caught, especially by someone who possesses his speed.

The book is far from written on Justin Crawford’s rookie season, let alone his MLB career. But we have now read the first few chapters and should have a better idea of the type of player he is and possibly could be. So, has your opinion of Justin Crawford changed since the season began?

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