Justin Crawford and Eiberson Castellano Named Paul Owens Award Winners
(Reading, PA) - The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Tuesday that outfielder Justin Crawford and pitcher Eiberson Castellano, who both played for Reading in 2024, were selected as the 2024 Paul Owens Award Winners. The Paul Owens Award is given annually to the Phillies top player and pitcher in their minor
(Reading, PA) - The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Tuesday that outfielder Justin Crawford and pitcher Eiberson Castellano, who both played for Reading in 2024, were selected as the 2024 Paul Owens Award Winners.
The Paul Owens Award is given annually to the Phillies top player and pitcher in their minor league system. This is the second-straight season that both winners spent that respective season with the Fightin Phils, as 2023's winners were Johan Rojas and Orion Kerkering.
Crawford, 20, split the season between Jersey Shore (A+) and Reading (AA). He began the season with the BlueClaws and slashed .301/.349/.438 (.787 OPS) over 70 games. The left-handed bat added 14 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 35 RBI, while converting on 27-of-35 stolen base attempts. Crawford was promoted to the Fightin Phils on July 12 and made his Reading debut on July 19. Over 40 games with the R-Phils, Crawford slashed .333/.380/.455 (.835 OPS). The Phillies No. 3 Prospect added 11 doubles, three home runs and 26 RBI, in addition to stealing 15 bags in 16 attempts. Crawford was additionally selected to play in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game for the second-straight season.
From the time of his Double-A debut on July 19, Crawford held the following Eastern League ranks: 1st AVG (.333), T-8th RBI (26), 8th OBP (.380), 6th SLG (.455), 5th OPS (.835), T-2nd Hits (55), T-3rd Doubles (11), T-7th Total Bases (75) and T-2nd Stolen Bases (15). Crawford finished his season on a strong note, hitting .410 in September, with a 1.003 OPS. The left-handed bat had 18 multi-hit games over 40 contests with the Fightin Phils, which included six three-hit games. He had a grand slam and five RBI at Akron on Aug. 10. Crawford split 2023 between Clearwater (A) and Jersey Shore (A+), winning the Florida State League MVP Award after hitting .344 over 69 games with the Threshers. The Phillies drafted Crawford in the first round (17th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.
Castellano, 23, split the season between Jersey Shore (A+) and Reading (AA) and ultimately finished the campaign with a 6-5 record and 3.99 ERA over 22 games (20 starts). He began the season with the BlueClaws and posted 4.12 ERA over 14 appearances and was promoted to the Fightin Phils on July 16. With the R-Phils, Castellano was 2-3, with a 3.79 ERA over eight starts. He was also selected as the Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month in July. With Reading, Castellano posted 50 strikeouts over 40.1 IP, good for 11.2 strikeouts-per-nine innings pitched for the season. Between both levels, Castellano had 136 punch outs over 103.2 innings pitched. That is good for an 11.8 strikeout-per-nine ratio.
From the time of his Double-A debut on July 21, Castellano was seventh in the Eastern League with 50 strikeouts. The right-handed pitcher picked up a win in his Double-A debut on July 21 at Portland, tossing six innings and allowing two runs. Castellano also posted double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back starts, punching out 10 on Aug. 18 vs New Hampshire, and then sending 11 Binghamton hitters down on strikes on Aug. 25. He posted a 1.64 ERA over four starts (22.0 IP) in August. Castellano spent 2023 and '22 with Clearwater (A) and began his professional career in 2021 with the DSL-Phillies (ROK). He signed with the Phillies as an international free agent in 2018 out of Venezuela.
The Paul Owens award was instituted in 1986 and is named for the late Paul Owens, who spent 48 years in the Phillies organization as a scout, farm director, general manager, manager and senior advisor.
The Fightin Phils return to FirstEnergy Stadium to open the 2025 season against the Portland Sea Dogs, Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox on Friday, April 4, 2025. Season tickets, mini plans and group outings are now available. For more information, go to rphils.com, call 610-370-BALL or in-person at the Customers Bank Ticket Office.
The 2024 R-Phils season is presented by Pepsi. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter @ReadingFightins, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Instagram @Fightins.