Phillies Add CF Justin Crawford in 1st Round of 2022 MLB Draft

In recent years, the sons of former Major League players have become some of the game's youngest talent.  Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, who also have Cavan Biggio and Bo Bichette.   There is also Fernando Tatis, Jr. of the San Diego Padres, and last year's top pick, Jack Leiter of the Texas Rangers.   After Jackson Holliday, son of Matt Holliday and Druw Jones, son of Andrew Jones were off the board, the Phillies got in on the successful bloodlines in the 2022 MLB Draft.

Crawford has a lot of tools like his father.

A pre-draft scouting report from Baseball America had a high opinion of Crawford:

Justin Crawford, is one of the most impressive athletes in the 2022 draft class. Crawford is much leaner than his father at the same time, with a highly projectable and lanky, 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame that has plenty of room for more strength gains in the future. Crawford showed solid bat-to-ball skills last summer over the showcase circuit, with a slappy approach in games, but sneaky raw power in batting practice given his strength at the time. Scouts noted that Crawford added more muscle throughout the fall and this spring, and he’s started driving the ball with more authority.

Some analysts felt that Crawford could find his way in the top 10 of the draft.

While this is exciting for fans, it's important to note that despite the need the Phillies have for a center fielder, it will be some time before Crawford makes the major leagues.  Just 18 years old and with no college experience, it could be several years before Crawford fully develops.  Unlike Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott, who moved through the system quickly, Crawford could take several years to make the big leagues.

The Phillies have no second round pick this year, which was forfeited to sign outfielder Nick Castellanos.   Therefore the Phillies will not pick until fifth in the third round, which is number 93 overall.  The draft resumes with round 3 on Monday.