Men After a breakout summer with USA Baseball, Reggie Crawford is back at Storrs, training for a fall season and a final, full regular season… (Amore)

[huskymedic]

Alternate access link here <<

-> As Crawford’s breakout summer ends, he is back at Storrs, training for a fall season and a final, full regular season that could bring a new level of attention to UConn baseball. The plan is for Crawford to pitch on Sundays, and play first base or Dan Hurley the rest of the week.

“He could be the face of college baseball next year,” Penders said. “He’s just so full of positivity and drive, and he has fun. He knows how to enjoy people and have people enjoy him. It’s just an innate ability. He has a magnetism. It’s like a moth to a flame. People are just drawn to him, it’s very rare.” <-

 

[dbmill]

Alternate access link here <<

-> As Crawford’s breakout summer ends, he is back at Storrs, training for a fall season and a final, full regular season that could bring a new level of attention to UConn baseball. The plan is for Crawford to pitch on Sundays, and play first base or Dan Hurley the rest of the week.

“He could be the face of college baseball next year,” Penders said. “He’s just so full of positivity and drive, and he has fun. He knows how to enjoy people and have people enjoy him. It’s just an innate ability. He has a magnetism. It’s like a moth to a flame. People are just drawn to him, it’s very rare.” <-

What a way to end a weekend series for an opposing team, facing a lefty with the stuff that Crawford has. That could be a tad disheartening for the opposition. Anyway, looking forward to see how Reggie transitions to a starting pitcher role during fall ball, especially considering starting pitching is pretty much a new role for him. Still, it makes sense, since you wouldn't have to go through the theatrics of getting him warmed up to come in out of the bullpen when he is playing the field.

 

[Pudge]

Ohtani. Makes us all think what formerly was impossible ... possible.

 

[huskymedic]

-> 5. Reggie Crawford, LHP, Connecticut
Crawford slugged 13 homers this spring but excites scouts much more on the mound, where he has shown huge upside in glimpses at Connecticut as well as with Team USA and in the Cape League this summer. A physical 6-foot-4 left-hander, he struck out 30 of the 56 batters he faced at those three stops in 2021, averaging 96 mph and touching 100 with his fastball while also mixing in a power slider that hit 88 mph. If he can hold up as a starter, continue to throw strikes and develop an offspeed pitch, he could vault to the top of this list. <-

 

[huskymedic]

 

[storrsroars]

As my Pirates continue to fail to advance their draft position (currently #4), I'm hoping that Reggie has a stellar year and Pittsburgh finally gets a UConn guy I can root for.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Tmill15]

In the article, I am the account the question comes from. Had to get Reggie some more national attention.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

One thing for sure, Reggie Crawford has plenty of pitching potential, and it is surely showing up in all these projections for the MLB draft next year. Crawford barely pitched in his first season with UConn, and when he did, he clearly had problems with control. While Crawford didn’t see a lot of mound time for UConn in 2021, the improvement in his pitching game was quite clear. Looking back at it now, I suspect that Crawford was definitely hurt by the lack of midweek games this season, as he would have been a natural choice in being a midweek starter. At any rate, the attention at Crawford’s pitching potential really rose this summer between his outrageous strikeout rate and the measurements on the radar guns that were trained on him when he did pitch.

So right now it looks like that based on his big pitching potential, Crawford rates to go very high in the next MLB draft. As Andrew Marrero and others have shown, potential is a big thing when it comes to the MLB draft. This fall and spring are big for Crawford’s baseball future. He has tantalized us with what he can do in his limited appearances this spring and summer. Now Crawford needs to show his huge potential on a more regular basis this fall while he is in training in becoming a starting pitcher, and then in the late winter and spring when he starts out by taking the mound to start games every weekend. The big question becomes can he stand up to more regular work on the mound. Assuming he does, then one would think the sky is the limit for him in terms of the MLB draft. The hint that we have received so far via a Hartford Courant article is that Crawford will begin as the Sunday starter, which makes sense since he has never been a regular starting pitcher before. But I would guess that if he shows he can do the job, I would expect that Coach Penders might have him migrating to being a Friday starter before the season is over, especially if Crawford shows that he can eat up some innings with his talented arm.

 

[dbmill]

From D1baseball.com and their top 10 scouting reports for their Top 100 College Prospects:

>4. Reggie Crawford, LHP/1B, Connecticut​

Athletic and large-framed at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Crawford is currently known more for his hitting talents where he slashed (.295/.349/.543) with 13 home runs for the Huskies. He pitched just 7.2 innings (with 17 strikeouts) for UConn this spring and so far this summer he’s shown electric stuff for the CNT, striking out nine in five innings, while allowing just one hit. He was up to 96 during his one inning stint in Pulaski (Va.) and up to 99 for Aaron Fitt during Monday night’s game against the professional Team USA, when he sat 97-98. Crawford throws loose and easy left-handed cheddar from a three-quarter slot, and there’s more in the tank. It’s also the high-spin heat (2500-2600+ rpm) that clubs now drool for. He further separates himself by consistently landing a low-80s breaking ball. It’s a profile that could be considered at 1-1 for the 2022 draft.<

College Top 100 Draft Prospects: Top 10 Scouting Reports • D1Baseball

Want a closer look at the Top 10 College Prospects for the 2022 draft? We have in-depth scouting reports.

d1baseball.com

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Tmill15]

2022 College Top 100 Draft Prospects: Version 1.0 • D1Baseball

Fall baseball is here and the first version of our College Top 100 Prospects list is out with LSU's Jacob Berry leading the way.

d1baseball.com

“The first pitcher in the Top 100 occupies the No. 4 spot with left-hander Reggie Crawford(UConn). The Huskies phenom is a two-way talent, boasting big power potential at the plate, but after flashing triple-digit heat this summer in the Cape Cod League and for Team USA CNT he’s now viewed potential front of the rotation starter. Athletic and large-framed at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Crawford pitched just 7.2 innings (with 17 strikeouts) for UConn this spring, and this summer he showed electric stuff for the CNT, striking out nine in five innings, while allowing just one hit. He throws loose and easy left-handed cheddar from a three-quarter slot, and there’s more in the tank. It’s also the high-spin heat (2500-2600+ rpm) that clubs now drool for. He further separates himself by consistently landing a low-80s breaking ball. It’s a profile that could be considered at 1-1 for the 2022 draft.”

 

[huskymedic]