The Phillies turned things around in the offseason. They signed again Kyle Schwarber again JT Realmuto. Their only notable import was Adolis García, Brad Keller again Jonathan Bowlan. They agreed Guard Suárez again Harrison Bader leave while they are apart Matt Strahm again Nick Castellanos.
It is clear that the front office wanted to leave opportunities for two of their talented young players to join one of the most important older teams in MLB. The door is open for both of them Justin Crawford again Andrew Painter heading north out of Spring Training. The 22-year-old players will look to strengthen their places in the camp.
Crawford is coming off a great Triple-A season. He hit .334/.411/.452 while stealing 46 bases (although he was caught 11 times). He walked about 12% of his trips to the plate against a lower than average 18% strikeout rate. The left-hander has only connected on seven home runs because his swing is designed to hit almost everything downfield. While that’s beyond his power, there’s no need to deal with the mechanics of a player who hit .322 with a .385 on-base percentage in his minor league career.
Prospectors had mixed opinions about Crawford earlier in his minor league days. He was a first-round pick (and the son of a four-time All-Star), so he’s had his share of praise, but his unconventional offensive style has given some scouts away. It has played at every minor league stop, raising the level of confidence that Crawford can continue to hit with quality arms.
Crawford probably would have made his big league game late last season if the Phillies hadn’t acquired Bader. He enters Spring Training as the starting favorite in center field on opening day, pushing Brandon Marsh to the left field. The Phillies may protect him against the occasional lefty but plan for him to be that way. “If you’re going to give Crawford a chance, you’ve got to give it to him, and that’s where we are,” president of baseball Dave Dombrowski said in December. “We will give him a chance and play a lot.”
Philadelphia won’t officially make a decision until Opening Day. They’ve had Crawford as the starting center fielder alongside other regulars in the early Spring contests. He should win the job unless he gets injured during the show. If he performs or struggles badly enough in Spring Training for them to reconsider that program, they will likely be looking Johan Rojas and Marsh’s divisive field work with a rotating group of left-handed batsmen.
The artist may have a lot of work to do during the camp. Zack Wheeler it won’t be ready for the start of the season. That moves Painter into the starting fifth role behind Christopher Sánchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola again Taijuan Walker. There are several pending startups in the free agent market (eg Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell, Max Scherzer). It’s too early in camp for those pitchers to be ready for Opening Day if they sign within the next week or so. The Phillies are monitoring the market for rotation depth, so an addition pushing Painter back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley doesn’t appear to be out of the question.
Philadelphia’s rotation beyond their top six arms (Wheeler included) is thin. If they lose someone else before Wheeler returns from his chest-clearing process, they will likely be forced to use a minor league signee like . Bryse Wilson or Tucker Davidson. There is controversy over signing Littell and Painter being the first man in case of injury.
The 6’7″ righty also didn’t excel in Triple-A the way Crawford did last year. Painter made 22 starts and threw 106 2/3 innings but struggled to a 5.40 earned run average against Lehigh Valley. He struck out opponents over an average of 23.4% while walking less than 10% of the batters he faced. The stuff was pretty good — a fastball average of 97 mph that included five pitches — but he was more vulnerable to home runs than the Phils probably expected. Although he remains one of the most talented players in the sport, his seemingly fast track to the majors was halted by Tommy John surgery that ended 2023-24 and an uneven return last season.
Crawford and Painter meet the criteria for the Prospect Promotion Incentive. If the Phillies carry them through a full service year, each could earn the team an additional option if he plays well enough to warrant consideration for the awards. They will be on track for free agency after the 2031 season if they skip camp and perform well enough to stay in the majors permanently. Keeping any player in the minors for a few weeks will delay that for a year unless they finish in the top two in Rookie of the Year voting.
Will both players be on the roster when the Phillies host Texas at Citizens Bank Park on March 26?
