This two-way player could've been an Olympian ... in swimming

Reggie Crawford, the Giants' No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is one of the more unique players in the game.

The Minor Leaguer is a legitimate two-way player. He pairs towering home runs at the plate with a blazing 100 mph fastball on the mound. He's already, in some circles, drawing comparisons to baseball's resident unicorn, Shohei Ohtani.

But there's a chance we might never have seen him on a pro baseball diamond.

The Giants might never have even had the opportunity to pick him in the first round of the 2022 Draft. There was another sport that Crawford was good at -- maybe even better at than baseball: Swimming.

"The goal was the Olympics," Crawford told me in a recent conversation. "The state record that I broke my junior year was set the previous year by a senior. He went to Penn State and he just swam in the past Olympics. So yeah, that was where we were setting our sights."

Growing up in Frackville, Penn., Crawford always played baseball in the spring, but from kindergarten on, swimming was his focus. He told me he didn't necessarily enjoy it, but it was inexpensive and, well, he was very, very good at it.

"The reason why I swam is because I was decent at it," the 23-year-old said. "It wouldn't be smart to not swim because that probably would've paid for college."

Crawford's pool exploits really took off in early high school, where he endured a training regimen that would make any teenager cringe.

"I was getting up at 4:45 a.m., practice from 5 to 7:30," he said. "After school, I would have 30-40 minutes of dry land and a 2 1/2-hour practice after that. I think like two to three days of the week, I'd go to an additional practice for travel swim."

The hard work paid off: Crawford improved every year from his freshman to junior seasons, placing higher and higher in the state championships. He placed 31st in the 100-meter breaststroke in 2016, fourth in the 50 freestyle in 2017 and, finally, set a new Pennsylvania record with a first-place finish in the 50 freestyle in 2018.

Although he was an elite swimmer and already looking at colleges like Arizona State and Florida to pursue the sport further, Crawford's heart wasn't totally in it. The early wake-ups, the harsh training, the high-pressure competitions were not for him. That time in the pool had pushed his first love, baseball, by the wayside.

"The end of my junior year, some pieces had to be put in place to put me on the travel team for baseball," Crawford told me. "I think in the first week or two, I had 20 to 30 colleges coming to take a look at me."

Suddenly, the 6-foot-4, 200-plus-pound senior saw there was hope for a future in his favorite sport. (A pretty amazing fact considering he was near Olympic-level in an entirely different sport ... that he didn't even like). The Royals took notice in 2019, selecting Crawford in the 37th round of the Draft. But the 18-year-old decided to commit to UConn instead.

The two-way phenom spent three years at Storrs, putting together a breakout year as a sophomore: He led the Big East in homers (13) and RBIs (62) -- the most runs batted in by a Husky since George Springer back in 2010. He struck out 17 batters in 7 2/3 IP, holding batters he faced to a .172 average.

Crawford was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery during his junior year, but because of his hype and incredibly high ceiling, the Giants still took him with their first pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

While in the low Minors in 2023, Crawford continued to show promise on the mound and at the plate (along with other two-way player Bryce Eldridge). He struck out an incredible 32 batters in just 19 innings.

And he recently hit two dingers in Arizona Fall League action.

Not only does the lefty have the potential for star power on the field, but he has the personality to match it. He lights up when interacting with fans on social media, jokes about how he would pitch to himself and even has his own YouTube channel where he shares stories about life in the Minors.

But, what about swimming? Does the former all-state freestyler still get in the pool?

"I get in the pool sometimes," Crawford laughed. "It takes me awhile. I'll stand there and look at the water, have to fight some demons. But I'll swim some laps sometimes. Make sure I still got it."

It's not all bad memories, though: Crawford does credit swimming for developing his cardiovascular system, saying he can "run for days." Mentally, his time in the water has also prepared him for anything in life.

"The mindset's the big thing," he told me. "I know that I will never do anything on the baseball field or in the weight room that's as hard as [swimming]."

Even as hard as becoming a two-way player in the Major Leagues? The Giants certainly hope so.