Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Is it time for Phillies to promote top CF prospect?

By Lauren Amour | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 12:37 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies’ lineup is touted as one of the strongest in Major League Baseball, but one of their weakest positions over the last few seasons has been center field.

Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas have split time there since 2023, and neither has taken a step forward offensively to win the full-time job. The 27-year-old Marsh has had an abysmal start to 2025, batting just .125 with 10 strikeouts in 12 games.

Meanwhile, his platoon partner, Rojas, 24, has a deceiving .400 average in six appearances. He made a costly error in the outfield on April 8 in Atlanta, eventually leading to a Braves’ three-run home run later in the inning.

Despite a winning record, Phillies fans have quickly become fed up with the incompetence at the plate and in the outfield from center, which has been a recurring problem for years.

Luckily, Philadelphia has an internal option to consider if things worsen.

Justin Crawford, the Phillies’ first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, began the year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and has shown flashes across the first week of the Minor League Baseball season.

#Phillies No. 3 prospect Justin Crawford laced his second triple of the season during a three-hit performance in Sunday's victory.@USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/SZHYyWZoME
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) April 8, 2025

The 21-year-old is hitting .265 with two triples, six RBI, four stolen bases and seven strikeouts in 11 games thus far. With only two walks, he looks to bring his .294 on-base percentage back to where it was last year between High-A and Double-A, where he slashed .313/.360/.444 with nine homers, 61 RBI and 42 stolen bags.

Crawford possesses tremendous speed and solid defense like his dad, Carl, who was a four-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner in 15 MLB seasons.

However, Crawford likely needs more time to develop before his promotion to the big leagues. It wouldn’t be fair to put that amount of pressure on him upon his big-league debut. That said, the struggles of Marsh and Rojas may force the Phillies’ hand sooner than a mid- to late-season call-up for Crawford.

Lauren Amour

Lauren Amour is a writer and editor based in the Greater Philadelphia area. She currently works as an editor and writer at Yardbarker, covering MLB and the Philadelphia Phillies. Lauren also covers MLB and fantasy sports for Rotoballer and owns her own Substack, Phillies Phocus

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