Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford reverts swing to 2015 form
By John Town
After struggling to start the season, Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford has changed his swing, mirroring it to his swing back in 2015.
It’s hard for Phillies fans not to be worried about the team’s No. 1 prospect J.P. Crawford. After posting a .244/.328/.318 slash line in 87 Triple-A games last year, he is off to a .153/.280/.188 start this season. Through 101 plate appearances, Crawford has just 13 hits.
Crawford has been looking for a solution to his woes. On a recent bus ride to Columbus from Lehigh Valley, Crawford spent the seven-hour ride watching videos of his at-bats from 2015 when he was in High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. That season, he finished with a .288/.380/.414 line in 107 games.
More from Phillies Prospects
- Phillies manager suggests Andrew Painter could make Opening Day roster
- Phillies No. 1-ranked prospect Andrew Painter receives national accolade
- Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter continues to dominate
- Philadelphia Phillies prospects thriving is a positive sign for the future
- Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter dominates in Double-A debut
Crawford noticed that his hands were higher up compared to now since joining Lehigh Valley. He asked Lehigh Valley’s hitting coach, Sal Rende, and the club’s minor-league hitting coordinator, Sal Rende, if he could switch back to his 2015 swing. They both agreed.
Phillies director of player development, Joe Jordan, told Matt Gelb of Philly.com that he has confidence in Crawford:
"“I trust his ability. I trust the person. He’s strong enough to weather it. Hopefully, the last three or four days in April he built some momentum for May. Because he will come out of this a much better player. He will have weathered a storm he hadn’t had to face before.”More from That Balls Outta HerePhillies rumors: Club targets Seth Lugo for possible bullpen rolePirates’ bizarre Vince Velasquez hype video will make Phillies fans laughAcquiring Brandon Marsh gave the Phillies flexibilityFormer Phillies starter Zach Eflin shares heartwarming goodbye messageIs Rhys Hoskins the future at first base for the Phillies beyond 2023?"
Since making the change, Crawford has noticeably upped his numbers. Before that Columbus series, Crawford was hitting just .096 with a .351 OPS. Since that series, Crawford has a .242 batting average with a .648 OPS. It’s not great by any measure, but certainly better than how Crawford was hitting beforehand.
Crawford feels more confident at the plate after the switch, as he told Gelb:
"“I was just trying to get that feel back. I was trying to get back in the season mode and go on my plan.“This last week has been good for me. I think I found it. I feel good at the plate. My confidence is there. Everything is there again. So I’ll just try to stick with that.”"
Next: Breaking down Nick Pivetta's first MLB start
With better confidence in his swing, Crawford could be on pace to turn his season around and show that he is the No. 1 prospect for a reason. He is still young at just 22 years old, but expectations are high for the team’s best prospect and Crawford realizes that.