Justin Crawford Returns to Fenway Park with Carl Crawford Memories

Justin Crawford returned to Fenway Park on Tuesday, and carl crawford was back in the center of the story. The Phillies center fielder walked the same grounds where he once came as a child, then linked that visit to the slower, messier work of building his major league game.

Fenway Park With Carl Crawford

Crawford said walking around Fenway Park took him right back to when he was 7 and 8 years old. He wore a miniature Red Sox uniform as a kid, walked on the field with his father and shagged balls with him there.

“That’s when it hit me,” he said of walking to center at Fenway Park. “I was a kid, running around here, playing. Little Justin would be screaming right now (if he knew).”

Carl Crawford, a four-time All-Star, gave that memory its shape. The ballpark was not just a stop on Tuesday; it was one of the places where Justin first saw himself around the game, long before he was a 22-year-old big leaguer trying to settle into a daily role.

Phillies Center Field Work

The Phillies decided in the offseason to play Crawford in center field, and that assignment has come with real growing pains. Dave Dombrowski said in the winter that the club knew he was an unfinished product there, and that has shown up in the numbers.

He has played 37 games in the majors and has hit.271/.344/.390 with a.734 OPS. He has also swiped four bases, but he is hitting.056/.150/.056 against left-handed pitching.

Defensive Growing Pains

Mattingly said Crawford “He really hasn’t played that much center field” as the Phillies keep working through his development. Earlier in the season, Crawford said he felt hesitant on balls hit to shallow center, and outfield coach Paco Figueroa noticed the same thing.

The defensive metrics have been blunt. He has the worst Defensive Runs Saved in the majors among center fielders at minus-8 and the second-worst Outs Above Average among center fielders at minus-three.

The team’s trouble in that space has not been limited to one player. The Phillies have allowed a majors-worst.222 BABIP on fly balls and popups to center field, along with 14 hits there, so Crawford’s progress is unfolding inside a broader problem area that still needs cleaning up.