Justin

Crawford

He’ll be flanked by Brandon Marsh and Marsh’s platoon partner (probably Otto Kemp or Weston Wilson) in left and Adolis García in right. The Phillies could also carry Johan Rojas as a center field alternative against lefties and potential late-game defensive replacement, but the hope is that Crawford will seize the moment and turn into an everyday guy. The soon-to-be 22-year-old hit .334/.411/.452 with 46 steals in Triple-A last season, but his groundball tendencies on offense and his occasional poor routes in center make him something of a question mark.

The Phillies were never willing to give Crawford a try last season, even as he was on his way to hitting .334/.411/.452 in Triple-A. Crawford, who turns 22 next month, is a rather controversial prospect, in part because he’s an extreme groundball hitter and because his defense in center isn’t as good as his speed would suggest. Still, he hits the ball pretty hard, he’s improved his K/BB as he’s climbed the ladder and he’s an excellent basestealer. He’d have some mixed-league potential if he proves to be an everyday guy.

Crawford took teammate Otto Kemp’s shoulder to his face on a play down the left-field line. He suffered broken teeth, but he might be able to make it back for the end of the season.

Crawford is 9-for-19 with three homers in his last four games and is up to .333/.409/.454 for the year. The Phillies ought to call him up and make him a starting outfielder, but they haven’t felt much sense of urgency with the rest of the team performing so well.

“We just haven’t had the right time to do it yet, but he’s a person that’s always in our minds,” said Dombrowski. The 21-year-old outfielder is hitting .325/.406/.424 in 76 games at Triple-A with two home runs, 56 runs scored, and 29 RBI. The big sticking point when it comes to calling him up appears to be playing time. “If we had to bring them up, or we decide to bring him up, it’s not like he can’t contribute by any means. But it really comes down to, if he’s going to come here, we need him to be able to play the majority of the time.” With Max Kepler struggling in left field, the Phillies are in the market for an outfielder at the trade deadline. It sounds like, if they are not able to acquire one, Crawford could be an option to start games at the big league level.

There was some speculation that Crawford might be headed to the big leagues earlier this week when he was abruptly pulled from a Triple-A contest, but it turns out he’s dealing with an injury concern. The 21-year-old speedster has put together a strong campaign so far and figures to arrive in the majors at some point during the second half of the year.

Crawford appears to be day-to-day with a quad issue. He’s hit .349/.416/.448 for Lehigh Valley this season, and some have been calling for him to take over in center for the Phillies, though that still seems premature.

The 21-year-old is now up to 20 steals on the season while slashing .338/.407/.438 with 23 RBI, 38 runs scored, and a 46/24 K/BB ratio in 49 games at Triple-A. He seems ready for the big leagues, but there is no space for him in the Phillies’ outfield right now.

Crawford is hitting .325/.390/.421 with 10 extra-base hits and 10 steals through 29 games this season at the Triple-A level. The 21-year-old former first round pick’s speed is going to make him fantasy-relevant as a batting average and steals source once he reaches the big leagues. He needs to start putting the ball in the air more often if he’s going to reach another level offensively, but there’s a solid foundation of fantasy-relevant skills here. He’ll get some extra time to continue improving in the minors, but he figures to arrive in Philadelphia at some point in the second half.

Despite being just 21 years old, Crawford is slashing .293/.337/.378 in 19 games at Triple-A with a 16:6 K:BB ratio and eight stolen bases. The Phillies would obviously like to see the strikeout and walk rates come together a bit more, but it’s an impressive start to the season for a young player. He could push for a call-up at some point this summer.