A month after the Giants selected him with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, two-way star Reggie Crawford made his Oracle Park debut during Wednesday’s batting practice.
The 21-year-old out of UConn spoke to reporters before Wednesday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks before taking a few rounds of BP with the big leaguers. He also spent a few minutes behind the cage introducing himself to manager Gabe Kapler while shaking some hands with the Giants.
“Can’t really put it into words,” Crawford said. “Coming in, I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know how they were gonna do it. But everything’s going perfect, talking to the guys, meeting all the staff and stuff.”
Crawford mainly played first base for UConn but also featured a triple-digit fastball when he was on the mound. But an injury in October 2021 forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss his third season. He was viewed as a consensus Top-10 pick before his injury. In an ideal world, the Giants hope they just drafted the next Shohei Ohtani, but that’s an impossible comp for any one to live up to.
“It’s definitely pretty cool,” Crawford said of his two-way status. “I understand it’s a unique situation and I’m very encouraged about that. I’m just trying to maximize both sides as much as possible. It’s really cool being in this environment and being in Arizona with those guys. Just takes bits and pieces from everybody.”
Crawford has appeared in two games as a designated hitter in the Arizona Complex League since getting drafted and said he had some butterflies in his first game action in 10 months. For now, he's hitting while still ramping up his pitching work.
"I was throwing before I came," Crawford said. "They shut me down for two weeks just to limit my load. I just started my bullpen progression on Monday, so I think I’m off the mound at 50 percent maybe in a month or so."
Crawford said that Giants right-hander Logan Webb reached out to him the night he got drafted, and that the two got to connect in person on Wednesday.
“It’s a really cool experience and I’m gonna remember it forever,” Crawford said.
