Two-way prospect Crawford to join Low-A San Jose originally appeared nbc sports birea
MINNEAPOLIS — Reggie Crawford, perhaps the Giants’ most unique prospect in recent history because of his two-way ability, is now days away from making his Single-A debut.
San Francisco announced Tuesday that Crawford completed his rehab assignment in extended spring training in Arizona and was added to the roster of the San Jose Giants at Low-A.
Crawford will join San Jose during their ongoing six-game road series against the Modesto Nuts and is expected to start in the coming days.
selected by veterans The No. 30 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Crawford was a two-way player at UConn, split on the mound and at first base. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in October 2021 while in college and has been working his way back ever since.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler recently observed Crawford during a rehab assignment while the team was in Arizona.
“The first impression is his physicality. As you can imagine, he’s bigger and more physical than most players in the extended spring,” Kapler told reporters Tuesday at Target Field. “The ball is coming in good. His arm speed was looking good.
“I think he’s going to continue to work on his command and build up his arm strength, but Reggie is on a good track.”
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Since drafting Crawford in the first round, the Giants have made clear they plan to test his two-way potential. His power at the plate impressed the Giants when they took him last summer. Batting practice at Oracle Park in August.
“We still don’t know which path is best for him, so why not develop them both,” Michael Holmes, the Giants’ director of amateur scouting, said last summer. “I think he could be an excellent future first baseman and an excellent future pitcher. I’m not sure his path is quite defined yet.”
Whatever the route ends up doing, the first step will be its launch with San Jose sometime next week.
