Shortstop J.P. Crawford
J.P. Crawford opened up the 2016 season well with Double-A Reading, flashing his trademark plate discipline as he walked in 18.1% of his plate appearances. Upon promotion to Triple-A, he struggled as he managed a .244 average and .647 OPS.
It was not the seasons fans expected from Crawford after being named the No. 6 prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America. Many hoped to see him in Philadelphia by the end of the year, but he did not crack the roster at the end of the year. Part of the decision to not promote Crawford was due to him not needing Rule 5 protection this winter, but it’s not like he had a great case to be promoted anyway.
After not making the major-league roster last year, the pressure on Crawford to make his debut in the majors is only higher this season. He will be in the big-league camp again this spring, this time one step closer to the majors.
Crawford will get some time early in spring training games against major-league caliber pitching, but most of it will come against Triple-A guys. If Crawford can flash some success in the spring, it should hasten his arrival to the majors.