Highly touted Phillies prospect Justin Crawford was among the 27 players announced as non-roster invitees to Spring Training by the club on Friday.
Crawford’s invite comes as no surprise, given the Phillies’ openness this offseason about wanting him to be their everyday center fielder in 2026.
COMPLETE PHILLIES PROSPECT COVERAGE
“Crawford’s going to get every chance to play,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said recently.
Crawford, who turned 22 earlier this month, spent last season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he hit .334 with 23 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 47 RBIs, 46 stolen bases and an .863 OPS.
“From everybody I’ve talked to, the makeup is really good, and the intangibles are really good,” Thomson said. “So if he makes the club, we’re going to let him go, and we’re going to let him play. And, hopefully, he has some success — and we think he’s going to.”
It should be noted that Andrew Painter — another one of the club’s top prospects who is expected to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster this spring — does not require a non-roster invite because he was added to the 40-man roster earlier this offseason.
Miller, the 27th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, spent most of last season with Double-A Reading before finishing the year with Lehigh Valley following a September promotion. The 21-year-old has exclusively played shortstop in the Minors.
Escobar, who turned 21 on Jan. 1, hit .270 with 15 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 120 games across three levels last season. He split most of the season between Single-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore before finishing the year at Reading. Primarily a second baseman, he’s also played sparingly at shortstop and third base.
Here’s the full list of non-roster invitees:
Catchers (5): Kehden Hettiger, Mark Kolozsvary, Paul McIntosh, René Pinto, Caleb Ricketts
Infielders (8): Keaton Anthony, Christian Cairo, Carson DeMartini, Aroon Escobar, Aidan Miller, Liover Peguero, Bryan Rincon, José Rodríguez
Outfielders (4): Dylan Campbell, Justin Crawford, Bryan De La Cruz, Dante Nori
Right-handers (5): Andrew Bechtold, Jonathan Hernández, Michael Mercado, Trevor Richards, Bryse Wilson
Left-handers (4): Génesis Cabrera, Tucker Davidson, Tim Mayza, Andrew Walling
