SF Giants beat writer shares brutal update on 2022 first-round pick

SF Giants pitching prospect Reggie Crawford had been ramping up in his rehab from labrum surgery last September, but had a setback. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the 2022 first-round pick had a second shoulder surgery and likely will not return to the mound until next summer.

SF Giants beat writer shares brutal update on 2022 first-round pick

Crawford was recovering from Tommy John surgery when they drafted him out of the University of Connecticut. He missed the entire 2022 college season, and was limited to just eight innings in college.

However, the Giants were betting on his upside as a pitcher, and hoping that he could remain a two-way player. They lightly continued with that experiment through the 2023 season. Crawford was limited to 19 innings on the mound, and 19 plate appearances in the batter's box split between two levels.

The left-handed bat did get an extended look in the Arizona Fall League. He collected eight hits, including two home runs, in 58 at-bats. This came with 12 walks and 30 strikeouts. Crawford displayed above-average raw power and a quiet approach at the plate, but the hit tool needed to be refined.

Before the 2024 season, the Giants ended the experiment with Crawford as a two-way player. They had him focus exclusively on pitching, and were about as aggressive with a prospect as they could be given his limited experience as a pro.

In a bit of a surprise, Crawford began the 2024 season with the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He had impressed the coaching staff and front office so much during spring training to warrant an aggressive assignment. After seven appearances, he was moved up to the Sacramento River Cats.

The left-handed pitcher posted a 1.04 ERA with 11 strikeouts and seven walks in 8.2 innings with Sacramento before landing on the injured list in June. The front office conveyed their expectation that Crawford would debut with the Giants before the end of the 2024 season.

That did not come to fruition, as Crawford finished the year on the injured list after undergoing shoulder surgery, with the expectation that he would likely miss this year. The southpaw pitcher has been throwing in bullpens lately, but will miss even more time now after this latest setback.

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