Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Phillies Could Solve Outfield Woes Internally

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jacob Mountz | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 7:30 PM ET

As a whole, the Philadelphia Phillies’ outfield has been one collective sore spot. Johan Rojas, Brandon Marsh, and Max Kepler all own abysmal stat lines with the latter two posting batting averages below .220. The only Phillies’ outfielder that seems to be producing is Nick Castellanos, who himself has failed to avoid the avalanche of criticism thanks to subpar glove work in right field.

The Phillies have already been rumored to be aggressive buyers at the trade deadline; however, their outfield problems could be solved internally. Analyst R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports recently speculated that the Phillies’ no. 3 prospect (no. 53 overall), Justin Crawford, could fill the void.

“The Phillies haven't received much production from their outfield this season. Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas both have an OPS+ below 80, and perpetual breakout candidate Max Kepler isn't faring much better," he wrote. "Crawford, for his part, is hitting .349/.416/.448 with 23 steals in Triple-A. In theory, it makes sense for the Phillies to give Carl's son (yes, really) a look out there sooner than later.”

The 21-year-old outfielder isn’t expected to debut until 2026, but his production in Triple-A has become hard to ignore. Anderson goes on to mention his tendency to hit ground balls more often than not, but in his assessment, he believes Crawford can be a valuable addition to the major-league squad with a minor adjustment or two.

“Crawford is very fast and he does have actual strength (his average exit velocity is around 90 mph), but it's probably fair to wonder what, exactly, his game looks like in the majors until (and if) he makes some adjustments that allow him to better leverage his power.”

Crawford has just one home run on the season. If he can start to loft balls more, he might become the five-tool player that more than justifies his prospect ranking.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: