Keith Law of ESPN likes Phillies prospect JP Crawford. So much so that he ranked him 19th in his update Top 25 MLB prospect rankings on ESPN.com.
Here’s what he had to say about the Phillies shortstop:
After (Kris) Bryant, Crawford is having the best 2014 of any player drafted in last year’s first round, showing an outstanding approach at the plate and surprising doubles power along with very promising work at shortstop.
I loved him at the time of the draft but thought he’d be a slow-developing prospect; based on his work in pro ball so far, with a composite .324/.418/.440 line in his first 411 plate appearances since he signed, I might have been a little light on him.
Law is a well-respected voice and someone who has been in an MLB front office before, so I do trust his opinion. And it’s certainly outstanding news to hear that a Phillies has cracked the top 20. Can’t remember the last to do so.
The Phillies need more players like Crawford. And while he’s currently a few years away from making a major league impact, not to mention he’d be blocked anyway by Jimmy Rollins, it’s at least a good sign that the Phillies may have hit on a first round pick, something they’ve struggled with as of late.
