Justin Crawford vs Dylan Beavers: Which Prospect Has More Fantasy Value in 2026?

Justin Crawford and Dylan Beavers headline a pair of young outfielders with breakout potential and sneaky fantasy value late in 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford (80) looks on against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning at BayCare Ballpark. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Young outfield prospects can become league-winners in fantasy baseball when their skill sets translate quickly at the major league level. Players like Justin Crawford and Dylan Beavers bring intriguing blends of speed, contact ability, and developing power that could make them late-round values in 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.

OF60 – Justin Crawford, Philadelphia Phillies (NFBC ADP – 285)

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Crawford out of high school with the 17th overall pick in the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft. In my early days in the NFBC, I had a lot of success by drafting his father, Carl Crawford.

Over four seasons in the minors, Crawford hit .322 with 246 runs, 19 home runs, 177 RBIs, and 145 stolen bases over 1,304 at-bats. Philly gave him 112 games of experience last year at AAA (.334/88/7/47/46 over 440 at-bats). He has been successful on 81.9% of his 177 stolen base attempts in his career.

His contact batting average has been in an elite area over the past three seasons (.414, .393, and .421), giving a favorable starting point for his batting average when adding his better-than-league-average strikeout rate (18.4%). Crawford comes to the majors with a reasonable walk rate (8.8%). He comes off a weaker average hit rate (1.354), which, at this point, limits him to about 10 home runs.

Last year at AAA, his exit velocity came in at 89.8% with a 40.7% hard hit rate. Crawford had a low launch angle, highlighted by his massive ground ball rate (59.4%). His HR/FB rate (11.5%) has a reasonable starting point; he tends to put fewer than 20.0% of his balls in the play in the air, with over 15% of them being infield flies.

In my second year of the NFBC in 2005, I wanted to start my team with Carl Crawford (.301/101/15/81/46) with the seventh overall pick, but Rey Diaz swooped in and snatched him up with the fifth pick. He came to the majors with a similar path as his son: drafted out of high school (2nd round) with four years of experience in the minors (.293/284/17/134 over 1,724 at-bats). His walk rate (4.9) was much lower, while being a little more challenging to strikeout. The senior Crawford also had a weakness in his average hit rate (1.360).

When Justin Crawford was 8 years old, his father, Carl, was traded to the Dodgers -- then managed by Don Mattingly.

Now, nearly 15 years later, Mattingly is the #Phillies bench coach and MLB's No. 53 prospect is on track to break camp with the club: https://t.co/8IUGeQphBE pic.twitter.com/1low8yJbOY

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 8, 2026

Justin Crawford 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: After getting a mental picture of the Crawfords (father and son), it helped me get a better feel for Justin Crawford’s pedigree, ceiling, and foundation skill set. His swing path is weaker than his father's, and Carl didn’t hit stride in the majors until his third season. He also comes to the majors with a similar build to his father.

I expect a learning curve for Justin Crawford in his first major league season, but he could quickly move to the top of the Phillies’ lineup once he has success against major league arms. I don’t expect much improvement in power out of the gate, but his overall tools and potential should make him a more valuable fantasy asset than Steven Kwan in his rookie season.

There is something to be said for having a plus base stealer on a fantasy roster, especially at a fair price. I expect Crawford to outperform his price point by a wide margin, driven by his plus value in steals, batting average, and runs. With 500 at-bats, he has a chance to hit over .280 with 80 runs, eight home runs, 50 RBIs, and 50 steals. Think Esteury Ruiz in 2023 (.254/47/5/47/67 over 449 at-bats) with a better opportunity and harder contract.

OF61 – Dylan Beavers, Baltimore Orioles (NFBC ADP – 308)

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Dylan Beavers (12) looks on during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles drafted Beavers 33rd overall in the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft after showing growth over his final two seasons at California (.297/106/35/99/17 over 424 at-bats).

Over four seasons in the minors, he hit .278 with 237 runs, 44 home runs, 180 RBIs, and 87 stolen bases over 1,325 at-bats. His best success came over 362 at-bats at AAA (.301/81/18/55/23). Beavers had strength in his walk rate (14.1%) with a league average strikeout rate (21.1%). His average hit rate (1.692) reached a new ceiling in 2025 while improving every year in the minors.

The Orioles gave Beavers 35 games of experience last year. He showed patience at the plate (19.0% walk rate), but major league pitchers struck him out more often (26.3%). He flashed some power (four home runs over 110 at-bats), but his contact batting average (.338) came below his minor league career (.373).

His exit velocity (89.7) and hard-hit rate (39.5%) at AAA didn’t fall in an elite area. Beavers improved his launch angle (16.6%) while becoming more of a flyball hitter over his last three seasons in the minors (48.6% in his short time with Baltimore). Before last season (17.5% at AAA), his HR/FB rate had never been higher than 10.0%.

Dylan Beavers 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: Beavers is a big guy (6’5” and 205 lbs.) who should develop more power as he fills out. His speed is better than expected for his size. Baltimore has multiple options to get at-bats in right field, making it challenging to trust Beavers as a full-time starter at the gate in 2026.

His baseline of a 15/30 profile will be attractive once he secures every day at-bats. Player to follow this spring, and Beavers’ power could come faster than expected.

Justin Crawford vs. Dylan Beavers Fantasy Baseball Verdict

Crawford’s elite speed and high-contact profile give him immediate upside in batting average, runs, and stolen bases if he earns regular playing time with the Philadelphia Phillies. Meanwhile, Beavers offers an intriguing power-speed combination for the Baltimore Orioles, making both young outfielders worth monitoring closely as potential fantasy sleepers heading into the 2026 season. Ultimately, Beavers is the guy I have highlighted as a legitimate value on this year's draft board. Take him over Crawford unless you are desperate for stolen bases.