Justin Crawford may still possess significant long-term potential for the Philadelphia Phillies, but his recent performances have done little to help the club win games.
The young outfielder is currently enduring a brutal slump, recording just one hit in his last 26 at-bats. As a result, his season OPS has dropped to .650, while his ground-ball rate now ranks among the highest in Major League Baseball. Although speedsters often benefit from putting the ball on the ground, it becomes extremely difficult to generate meaningful offensive production when it happens at such an excessive rate.
Crawford’s elite speed remains one of his most valuable assets. He ranks in the 98th percentile in sprint speed, giving him a dynamic tool that few players can match. However, that speed has not translated into overall effectiveness on the bases. According to Baseball Savant, he owns a below-average “Baserunning Run Value,” ranking in only the 36th percentile.
His struggles have also extended to the defensive side of the game. Playing center field, Crawford has had difficulty getting good reads off the bat, leading to poor jumps and limiting his range. Those issues have contributed to a 13th-percentile “Range” rating on Baseball Savant, along with a minus-2 Outs Above Average mark.
Even for those unfamiliar with advanced metrics, the overall takeaway is straightforward: Crawford has not performed at the level the Phillies expected. He is not making hard contact, evidenced by a 20th-percentile exit velocity ranking, nor is he elevating the baseball consistently. Defensively, he has struggled to cover ground, and on the bases, he has not fully capitalized on his elite speed.
Philadelphia entrusted Crawford with the Opening Day center-field job, but the organization is rapidly approaching a point where it must determine how much confidence it still has in his ability to develop and take the next step forward.