June 6, 2013: The Philadelphia Phillies drafted shortstop J.P. Crawford 16th overall.
September 5, 2017: The Philadelphia Phillies selected the contract of J.P. Crawford and he made his major league debut… at third base.
A piece to the future arrived. Crawford was selected as an 18-year-old kid from from California and tonight, he made his debut as a 22-year-old. It certainly was a road less traveled by, as the 22-year-old struggled mightily early this year, hitting .175 on May 25. Since that day, Crawford has turned it around, hitting .275/.380/.494 with 14 home runs, 49 RBI and 54 walks.
After such a dreadful start, a lot of people wrote the former first round pick off. But, he’s here, and a potential difference-maker for a young Phillies core on the rise. Tonight, he started at third base, in favor of the under-performing Maikel Franco. Crawford didn’t do anything special tonight, other than a flare to centerfield for his first major league hit (and a couple fluid plays at the hot corner). But just his presence on the field and at the plate feels like the process has sped up.
The star of tonight’s game was easily Ben Lively, who kept the Mets at bay by tossing seven innings of one-run ball, but also brought his stick to the yard. He finished the night with four RBI on two hits, including a home run to right center off Mets’ starter Jacob deGrom. Nick Williams contributed two hits, including a bases-clearing double, and Odubel Herrera extended his hitting streak to 19 with an RBI single – all part of a six-run fourth that broke it open.
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