That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

Phillies first-round picks a mixed bag of results in 2017

By John Town

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 06: Starting pitcher Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 6, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 06: Starting pitcher Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 6, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL- MARCH 03: J.P. Crawford #77 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action during the game against the New York Yankees at Steinbrenner Field on March 3, 2016 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

2013: J.P. Crawford

J.P. Crawford was the first pick of the Phillies after they started to rebuild and instantly became one of the team’s top prospects. Within a few years, he was the team’s prospect and expected to be the centerpiece of a future contending club. After the last season and a half, that expectation has been lowered.

Crawford has played the most games at any level of his minor-league career at Triple-A and he hasn’t exactly had the best results. In 186 Triple-A games Crawford has a .236/.336/.356 slash line. This year, that line is .228/.343/.390, which isn’t exactly what you want from your top prospect. Accordingly, Crawford has fallen out of the number one spot in almost every major ranking.

However, hope isn’t lost for the shortstop. Since returning from an injury June 20, Crawford has a .951 OPS with 10 home runs and 26 runs batted in. In 186 plate appearances, Crawford has walked 27 times and struck out 32 times. The last 43 games have been the best of Crawford’s at Triple-A by far.

Crawford’s recent numbers could be a hot streak or perhaps even him finally figuring out the Triple-A level. In fairness, he is 22 years old and 4.7 years younger than the average International League player. While it took longer than we would have liked, Crawford may finally be returning to top prospect form.

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