Justin Crawford’s rookie season with the Phillies has finally started to look like the version the club has been waiting for.
The center fielder has spent the last two and a half months turning steady progress into production, and the numbers back it up. Since June 1, Crawford is hitting .303 in 152 at-bats, a stretch that trails only Bryson Stott’s .304 on the team.
That kind of run doesn’t make Crawford a middle-of-the-order bat, and the Phillies don’t need him to be one. What they do need is exactly what he’s been giving them: getting on base, creating traffic, and giving the hitters behind him chances to cash him in.
Philadelphia has kept him in a bottom-of-the-order role since his Opening Day debut, and the approach has paid off as he’s settled into the everyday center field job. After an uneven start that came with the usual rookie bumps, Crawford has started to look more comfortable, more selective, and more dangerous in the spots that matter.
“I’ve said all year long. Craw’s had a good face, all the time," said Philadelphia interim manager Don Mattingly.
"He hasn’t looked like he got down, or dragging himself around. He continued with his work.
He’s stayed with his routines, from his standpoint of doing his work daily - making adjustments. He’s handled everything really well.
I think he’s gotten better in CF.
“For a rookie, he’s handled everything as good as everybody I’ve seen.”
The early numbers weren’t nearly as clean. Crawford hit .234 over his first 53 big-league games, and the Phillies mixed and matched around him with Steward Berroa and Dylan Moore in the opening months. They later traded for Derek Hill to share the load in center, while Crawford was still searching for consistency.
Now the job has shifted his way. Crawford has earned the bulk of the playing time, and August has been the clearest sign yet that the adjustments are taking hold. He’s hitting .391 with a 1.010 OPS this month, and he has seven RBI in nine games.
Mattingly pointed to a simpler, sharper approach at the plate.
“It’s been for a while right?" Mattingly said on Crawford's hitting.
"The changes he’s made is just shortening up a little bit. You’re starting to see him get to pitches, just shortening his route a little bit.
“His eyes seem to be, he’s not chasing as much, understanding where he’s at in the order. How they’re pitching him a bit more.
He’s getting better and better. ”
That growth has shown up in the pressure spots, too. Crawford is batting .316 with runners in scoring position, .341 with two outs and runners in scoring position, and .321 in high leverage situations. For a lineup that wants speed and contact from the bottom, he’s become a useful bridge to the top.
Mattingly said the confidence is showing through even when the hits aren’t falling.
"You can see Craw’s a confident player," Mattingly said. "Even though he’s not getting his hits, it’s gonna bother him to the point where he’s making small adjustments, but it’s not gonna bother him to the point he thinks he can’t play here.
“I think that’s the biggest difference with players that believe in themselves and they know they can make the adjustments.”
Crawford has also made a noticeable jump against left-handed pitching, which was part of the reason the Phillies had him in a platoon earlier in the year. Since June 1, he’s hitting .364 against lefties, the best mark on the team, even though it comes in only 22 at-bats.
Mattingly said the key has been keeping the strike zone clean and sticking to the plan.
“For me, just controlling the zone and understanding how they’re pitching to him," Mattingly said. "Gotta swing at strikes.
Understand the chase (rate). What’s my game planning like?
That’s where the Phillies are with Crawford now: encouraged, patient, and seeing the rookie move closer to becoming a real piece of the offense.
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