Inbox: Will Crawford be a September callup?
I keep hearing J.P. Crawford might not be called up before the end of the season. Please, explain this to me. -- Kevin K., PhiladelphiaYes, there is a chance Crawford, the No. 3-ranked prospect in baseball according to MLBPipeline.com, will not be promoted until next season.First, Crawford is hitting .258
I keep hearing J.P. Crawford might not be called up before the end of the season. Please, explain this to me.
-- Kevin K., Philadelphia
Yes, there is a chance Crawford, the No. 3-ranked prospect in baseball according to MLBPipeline.com, will not be promoted until next season.
First, Crawford is hitting .258 with three home runs, 25 RBIs and a .681 OPS in 70 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He has hit better since a slow start, but his numbers do not guarantee a promotion. Second, the Phillies are in a numbers crunch. They have to protect multiple prospects before this year's Rule 5 Draft. The list includes 12 of their Top 30 Prospects:
Crawford does not have to be protected yet, so keeping him off the 40-man roster until next year would allow the Phils to protect an additional prospect they feel is at risk of being selected in the Rule 5 Draft.
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There is no question that fans itching to see Crawford in September will be irritated by this possibility, but one month should not make or break his career. Crawford will be in Spring Training next season, and there is a chance he could make the team out of camp. Even if he doesn't, my expectation is that Crawford will be the everyday shortstop before the end of next year.
Of course, this is just speculation. In the end, the Phillies might say, "Hey, this guy is going to be our shortstop next year. Let's get the ball rolling."
Do you see any trades coming this month?
-- Lisa R., Cherry Hill, N.J.
It is possible we could see one. I thought
Any team looking to add a player who will be eligible for their postseason roster must make the deal by Aug. 31.
Once Crawford is promoted, what will happen with
-- Andrew G., New York
I wrote about this following Wednesday's game against the Dodgers. I think Galvis could become the second baseman.
That might surprise some fans, because
If Hernandez can reduce his mental mistakes, he would make a stronger case for himself. But right now, there is a chance that Galvis would get the bulk of playing time at second once Crawford is promoted.
Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his Phillies blog The Zo Zone, follow him on Twitter and listen to his podcast.