Crawford, Nola invited to Futures Game
Top two Phillies prospects to play for U.S. Team in Cincinnati
PHILADELPHIA -- J.P. Crawford and Aaron Nola figure to be big parts of the Phillies' future as the club's top two prospects.
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Crawford and Nola are ranked the No. 16 and No. 30 prospects in baseball, respectively, which is why they have been named to the U.S. Team in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
The 17th annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game takes place at 3 p.m. ET on July 12, and it can be seen live on MLB Network and MLB.com, with Matt Vasgersian, Dan Plesac, Heidi Watney and Jonathan Mayo on the call. In addition, SiriusXM Radio will broadcast play-by-play coverage of the event live on MLB Network Radio (XM channel 89; Sirius channel 209). MLB.com will also provide complete coverage before, during and after the game. Fans can stay updated by following @FuturesGame on Twitter and can send/receive tweets to/from the U.S. and World dugouts during the game by tagging tweets with the hashtags #USDugout and #WorldDugout.
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The Phillies selected Crawford in the first round of the 2013 Draft. After hitting .392 (31-for-79) with one double, one home run, eight RBIs, five stolen bases, 14 walks, nine strikeouts and a .932 OPS in 21 games this season with Class A Advanced Clearwater, the Phillies promoted the 20-year-old shortstop to Double-A Reading.
Video: Top Prospects: J.P. Crawford, SS, Phillies
Crawford has hit .298 (31-for-104) with eight doubles, one triple, one home run, nine RBIs, two stolen bases, 18 walks, 11 strikeouts and an .825 OPS in 24 games in Reading.
Nola, who the Phillies selected in the first round of the 2014 Draft, could be weeks away from joining the Phillies, especially if Cole Hamels and Aaron Harang are traded in the near future. Nola went 7-3 with a 1.88 ERA in 12 starts with Reading before his promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Video: Top Prospects: Aaron Nola, RHP, Phillies
He is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in two starts with the IronPigs.
Double-A manager Dusty Wathan will be a coach on the World Team.