Tennessee transfer Reggie Crawford selected by San Francisco Giants in 2022 MLB Draft

One of the biggest incoming transfers to Tennessee baseball next year, Reggie Crawford, has been drafted by the San Francisco Giants. The Giants made Crawford the final pick of the first round, taking the two-way prospect with the 30th overall pick. Crawford spent the past two years with UConn, but announced just last week that he would be joining the Volunteers and coach Tony Vitello’s roster.

Reggie Crawford selected by the Giants

Crawford is a left-handed pitcher and first baseman prospect that drew attention for his possible two-way player status — although he missed the entirety of last year due to Tommy John surgery. He came into the draft ranked at No. 80 on the MLB Draft Tracker for prospects, but the Giants feel his unique talent as a two-way player could make him worth the first-round selection.

A major concern for people speculating on his MLB future is the combination of his recent surgery and his college sample size as a pitcher — Crawford only pitched eight innings at the college level. However, in his eight innings, he posted a 1-1 record, an ERA of 2.25 and 17 strikeouts.

Crawford was the only player listed as a two-way player selected in the first round of the draft, which saw 21 position players and 8 pitchers selected.

Tennessee coach Tony Vitello was on the MLB Network broadcast desk for the draft, and was given a chance to comment on Crawford’s selection live. Although he hasn’t officially signed a contract, his first-round selection could mean that he joined and left Tennessee within a matter of a week as the MLB opportunity he was waiting for came.

“I’m happy for Reggie Crawford,” said Vitello, while joking that he was going to throw his clipboard. “He was coming to us from the transfer portal but he’s a first-rounder. And all these scouts, they’ve got their 80 grade — I’m still not smart enough to figure out how they rank guys but 80’s as high as your gonna go … and that’s what they all say about the kid. Certainly happy for him and he is a two-way guy.”

Vitello was then asked if he had planned to use Crawford as a two-way player at Tennessee, and the Vols coach was adamant that he felt he was a true two-way talent.

“No question. I hate to tell a pro team what to do because they’re smarter than I am and they put more time into it, but I think this guy can do that for a while.”