🔥 HOT NEWS: 145 steals in 325 games… Crawford isn’t just fast — he’s the kind of player who makes pitchers panic before the pitch ⚡.DD

The Philadelphia Phillies may be built like a team trying to win right now — veterans, star power, and a roster that doesn’t exactly scream “youth movement.”

But the future is still coming.

Pittsburgh Pirates v. Philadelphia Phillies | Mike Carlson/GettyImages

And in 2026, it’s coming fast.

Despite having one of the older cores in baseball, the Phillies are expected to bring multiple top prospects to the major league roster this season, a shift that could quietly reshape the team’s identity.

Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford are both projected to make the Opening Day roster and take on meaningful roles.

Aidan Miller, also a top prospect, received a non-roster invite to big league spring training, but is likely to begin the year at Triple-A after earning a late-season promotion there in 2025.

All three are ranked on MLB Pipeline’s 2026 Top 100 Prospects list — but it’s Crawford who’s already pulling the spotlight toward him for one reason that can’t be taught:

Speed that changes games before anyone even swings.

MLB Pipeline named Justin Crawford the “fastest runner” among its Top 100 prospects, and it’s the kind of label that instantly shifts expectations.

Fans don’t just want to see him play. They want to see what happens when his speed touches a major league field.

Because elite speed doesn’t just create highlights.

It creates pressure.

It forces mistakes.

It makes defenders rush throws. It makes pitchers slide-step. It makes catchers cheat. It makes infielders take one extra step toward the bag… and suddenly a routine grounder turns into panic.

And that’s exactly why Crawford is so polarizing.

Since the Phillies drafted him in the first round in 2022, he’s been one of the most debated prospects in the organization.

The tools are obvious. The upside is real. But there have always been questions that linger under the hype.

Where does he play long-term — center field, his natural position, or left field at the major league level?

Will he hit enough against MLB pitching to justify everyday at-bats?

And most importantly: can he fix the one flaw that major league teams will immediately attack?

Crawford’s biggest concern has been his alarmingly high ground ball rate.

In the minors, it hasn’t stopped him. Against lesser competition, a fast player can survive on ground balls because he turns weak contact into hits. He beats out infield singles. He forces errors. He steals bases the moment he reaches first.

But the majors don’t forgive predictability.

MLB defenders don’t rush the same way. MLB pitchers don’t leave the same pitches over the plate. MLB infields don’t turn routine plays into adventures.

So the question becomes brutal: will Crawford’s ground-ball-heavy approach translate… or collapse?

This winter, Crawford took a step that suggests he knows exactly what’s at stake.

He adjusted his hitting mechanics, reportedly lowering his hands in an effort to cut down the ground ball rate as he prepares for his first taste of big league action. It’s not just a tweak — it’s a signal that he’s trying to evolve before the league forces him to.

And the scary part for opponents is that Crawford doesn’t even need to become a home run hitter to be dangerous.

He just needs to lift the ball into the gaps.

Because if he starts driving balls into the outfield instead of chopping them into the dirt, his speed becomes something more than a tool — it becomes a weapon.

Doubles turn into triples. Singles turn into instant scoring threats. Pitchers start throwing from the stretch in the first inning because they’re afraid of what happens if he reaches.

Speed already runs in the family.

Crawford’s father, Carl Crawford, led the American League in stolen bases four times and averaged 45 steals per year during his MLB career.

That wasn’t just athleticism — it was a style. A way of playing that forced the entire game to bend around it.

Justin Crawford is cut from the same cloth.

He’s listed with 75-grade speed, and he’s already been terrorizing minor league batteries since joining the Phillies system.

In 325 career minor league games, he’s stolen 145 bases — and he’s swiped over 40 bags in three straight seasons.

That’s not “fast.”

That’s relentless.

And even if some of his batting average has been inflated by beating out grounders, the production is still real.

Crawford is a career .322 hitter in the minors and posted the third-highest batting average in the International League last season at .334.

So yes, skepticism exists.

Fans know the transition from minor leagues to MLB can be brutal, especially for a player whose profile depends on speed and contact. But the Phillies aren’t bringing Crawford up to be a bench spark plug.

They’re gearing up to make him the everyday center fielder in 2026.

And once he steps onto a major league field, the debate won’t be theoretical anymore.

It’ll be real.

Because if Justin Crawford’s bat holds up even slightly, his speed alone could turn the Phillies into a completely different kind of threat — the kind that doesn’t just score runs…

It steals them. ⚡