Luis Arraez is the latest Phillie Justin Crawford has pulled aside to ‘pick his brain’

After Luis Arraez had traversed the length of the dugout, doling out high fives in celebration of his fifth homer of the season, Justin Crawford had a question for him.

The Phillies rookie pulled aside the newest member of the team to ask what he’d seen from Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin that had allowed him to take him deep. Arraez sent an 0-2 sinker at the top of the zone 385 feet off the foul pole in right field.

“I figured he’s probably going to try to pitch me similar to how he pitched him,” Crawford said. “So I was just trying to pick his brain, and see what he saw from him.”

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When it was Crawford’s turn, he attacked a first-pitch fastball from Irvin, and powered it to deep center field for a sacrifice fly that scored a run.

The exchange between him and Arraez was caught on NBCSP’s broadcast cameras, but it’s something Crawford does often with his teammates. He is always asking fellow lefties Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott for advice, because he sees their approach as somewhat similar to his own.

“Just lefties that are kind of similar to me, where I think pitchers might try to pitch us kind of the same,” Crawford said. “Arraez, I went up to him. He had a pretty long at-bat, I think, too. So went up there and [I] asked him what he saw. And yeah, I definitely took that into my next at-bat.”

Arraez, with his ability to spray the ball all over the field and his penchant for singles, might be more similar to Crawford than anyone else on the team. Both lefties hit for average, don’t swing and miss a lot, and have the ability to manufacture runs. Power is not a main feature of either of their games.

Arraez has three batting titles and is on pace for his fourth. Crawford won the International League batting title in the minors last year after putting up a .334 average in triple A.

He knows there is a lot he can learn from his new teammate.

“I think that’s someone I’m going to be relying on throughout the rest of the year, honestly,” Crawford said. “Just with our profiles being pretty similar, knowing that, how pitchers try to pitch him will most likely be how they’re trying to pitch me.”

What impresses Crawford most about Arraez’s approach is how hard he battles at the plate. Although he has the lowest strikeout rate in MLB — 4.4% — Arraez is not afraid to fall behind in the count and work long at-bats.

“Just how tough of an out he is,” Crawford said. “I think every at-bat, he goes up there, competes, and his ability to be able to extend that at-bat, put the ball in play, is something that I think is really unique. And also is a lost art.”

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The potential mentorship between Arraez and Crawford is something that interim manager Don Mattingly thinks can really benefit the rookie in the long run.

“I think Luis is a guy for him. It’s a great guy for him to talk to,” Mattingly said. “He’s left-handed. He’s won a few batting titles. Craw’s won a couple in the minor leagues, so they’re similar guys. Obviously, they look a little different, but they’re similar in what they do.”

The energy the 29-year-old Arraez has injected into the Phillies lineup in just the two games since they acquired him is clear watching from the outside. But behind the scenes, his leadership is already shining through.

“Throughout the year, throughout every game, I think I’m going to be kind of leaning on him,” Crawford said. “He’s such a leader too, already, so it’s been really good so far.”

Zack Wheeler (10-2, 2.49 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener opposite Blue Jays right-hander José Soriano (9-6, 3.29). Toronto acquired Soriano at the trade deadline, and he will be making his debut with the club. … Chase Utley is set to be inducted into the Phillies’ Wall of Fame on Friday before the game.

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