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SF Giants 2022 first-round pick Reggie Crawford returns to mound

It appears that SF Giants 2022 first-round pick Reggie Crawford is close to making his official pitching debut after pitching in Arizona.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants 2022 first-round pick Reggie Crawford returns to mound
SF Giants 2022 first-round pick Reggie Crawford returns to mound /
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The SF Giants have been patiently waiting for the team's 2022 first-round pick Reggie Crawford (Giants #12 prospect) to make his minor-league pitching debut. It seems that the southpaw is nearing his professional pitching debut after his partner Madi Whitmire posted a video on Instagram of Crawford pitching in an unofficial game at the Arizona Complex. In the video, Crawford strikes out a hitter in the Colorado Rockies organization. On Tuesday, the Giants official prospects account released video of Crawford and said he struck out the side in an inning of work at extended spring training.

Crawford, of course, underwent UCL surgery in the fall of 2021 and was unable to play in his final collegiate season. Crawford was drafted as a two-way player and made his minor-league debut last season as a designated hitter, hitting .200/.263/.286 with a home run in 10 games at the Arizona Rookie League.

The Giants selected Crawford with the 30th overall pick in last year's draft, signing him to a slightly below-slot $2.3 million signing bonus to forego his remaining collegiate eligibility. Crawford, who starred at UCONN from 2020-2021, had transferred to SEC powerhouse Tennessee before deciding to turn pro.

Crawford fell to the end of the first round simply due to uncertainty. If teams solely drafted players based on their ceiling, Crawford would have easily been one of the first five picks in the draft. At his best, the southpaw has shown the ability to reach 100 mph with a fastball that has characteristics that help it play up alongside a plus slider. At the plate, his left-handed swing can get long but has shown the ability to tap into his plus power potential.

With that said, the pandemic-canceled 2020 season, alongside Crawford's injury, limited him to just eight collegiate innings pitched. In fact, his draft stock blew up most during the summer of 2021 between stints in the Cape Cod League and with Team USA. The player scouts saw during those months was considered one of the early favorites to be the first overall pick in last year's draft. However, before he injured his UCL just a couple months later before he could back up his exceptional summer with a strong college season.

The SF Giants have high hopes for Reggie Crawford. The 2022 first-round pick flashed tantalizing potential on the mound throughout his amateur career, and now, it seems after nearly two years of rehab, he's nearing his first chance to showcase his arsenal in a minor-league game.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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