Crawford cracks Monty’s Angle on first try

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Justin Crawford had things to learn, so last Tuesday and Wednesday, he walked the Citizens Bank Park outfield with Phillies outfield coach Paco Figueroa and outfielders Brandon Marsh and Adolis García.

Crawford had never played in Philly, and the Bank’s outfield is tricky, especially for newcomers and visitors. It ranks among the six most difficult outfields in Major League Baseball, according to Statcast's Outs Above Average. One reason is Monty’s Angle, the tall, angled wall immediately left of the batter’s eye in center field. Get too aggressive, and a double can turn into an inside-the-park home run (i.e. J.T. Realmuto in Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS). Worry too much about the ricochet, and an out becomes a hit.

Crawford, MLB's No. 51 prospect per MLB Pipeline, made a nice leaping catch at Monty’s Angle in the third inning of Saturday’s 5-4 loss in 10 innings to the Rangers. Statistically speaking, it wasn’t anything special. Crawford didn’t have to run fast or far to catch it. But the catch involved guts, trust and a well-timed jump.

“The first couple days, we walked out there, and I got a feel for the warning track, the wall, knowing some parts are brick where the ball shoots off,” Crawford said. “But talking with Marshy and García, knowing that I can go for those balls because they’re going to be backing me up, so I should feel comfortable going for them.

“It makes it easier to try to make a play on a ball knowing those guys are going to be there. It’s something that’s good to know, just talking to each other, knowing where each other is at.”

Rangers center fielder Wyatt Langford crushed a first-pitch sinker from Aaron Nola at 107 mph. The ball had a 96 percent hit probability.

But Crawford felt he could make a play.

“I think if it was hit a little harder, and you know off the bat you’re probably not getting the ball, you might lay off of it,” Crawford said. “But that one kind of hung up.”

Crawford got into position. He jumped.

“I got there, and I thought I might’ve jumped a smidge too early,” he said. “Just a smidge. Thankfully, I’ve got long arms.”

Crawford mentioned how the replay showed Marsh sprinting to cover him in case he missed it.

Figueroa was happy to see last week’s work deliver results.

“We worked on that angle, specifically,” Figueroa said. “Because that angle can get tricky. You can make a lot of plays on that angle. Some people see the angle, and they’re thinking about the carom already because it can carom this way, it can carom that way. But we told him, 'Don’t worry about the carom yet. Trust Marsh, the off outfielder, to back you up.' And it worked out.

"A lot of guys that don’t know that angle. They get there, and they’re worried about it. ‘Oh, [shoot], I’ve got to figure out where it’s going to bounce.’ But you still have a chance to catch it. Now, granted, if you get there and it’s too high, you’ve got to retreat back. But you’ve got to trust the guy behind you.”

Several years ago, Figueroa used to take his fungo and hit balls off outfield walls in ballparks across the league to show his outfielders how the ball caroms. Now, he can give them a 2-3 minute video of the ways a ball bounces.

There was a little extra work last week, though.

“We were just explaining the angles, the bounces,” Figueroa said. “I threw balls off the padding. I threw balls off the cement. I threw a ball at this angle, so it ricocheted this way or that way. This way, it’s going to go to left-center. This one is going to go straight to right field.”

Crawford will get a whole new experience this weekend and next week at Coors Field in Denver and Oracle Park in San Francisco. Those parks, like Citizens Bank Park, rank among the six most difficult outfields to play.

“But J, his makeup is awesome,” Figueroa said. “He’s going to learn, and he’s going to get better and better.”