Phillies top prospect, J.P. Crawford, has finally shaken his batting slump
The 22-year-old shortstop was hitting .089 in April. He is up to .205 after four straight multi-hit games.
ALLENTOWN - J.P. Crawford can't sugarcoat it. This has been a terribly difficult season for the Phillies' top minor-league prospect. Yet the 22-year-old shortstop for triple-A Lehigh Valley, who was the Phillies' first-round pick in 2013, said that he was coming out of a season-long hitting slump.
On Wednesday, Crawford had a four-game multi-hit streak snapped, but he still reached base twice with two walks in a 6-0 win at Indianapolis.
His average was up past the Mendoza line, at .205 entering Thursday. Considering that he was batting .089 after going 0 for 4 on April, 25, that is progress.
"It's been tough," Crawford said. "You've got to keep going out there every day and keep trying to work your way out of it."
He sees positives over the last week.
"It's looking up now," he said. "I will keep working hard and hopefully have positive results."
IronPigs manager Dusty Wathan said that he has admired the way Crawford has handed the adversity this year.
"He has been great," Wathan said. "I think the thing I look at is that he has played tremendous defense the whole time. To me that shows he has really matured and been able to separate those things."
Wathan also sees the difference in Crawford at the plate.
"He is on time better and a little quieter [with his swing]," Wathan said. "There are a couple of little mechanical things he has tweaked, and he looks really good at the plate, really confident."
This is the one level at which Crawford has had extended struggles. Last season, when he was moved up from double-A Reading, he batted .244 in 336 at-bats.
Crawford conceded that his time at triple A, especially this season, has been humbling.
"I have learned from it," he said. "God willing, if I make it to the big leagues, I would rather struggle down here and know how to get out of it."
Impressive closer
After another recent impressive relief performance by 24-year-old righthander Jesen Therrien this week, Reading manager Greg Legg was asked if the Phillies' 17th-round pick in 2011 had anything else to prove at the double-A level.
"I don't think so," Legg said. "I think he has shown everybody that he is ready to move on."
The Phillies agree. On Thursday, Therrien joined Lehigh Valley but had yet to be activated. In 21 games at Reading, he had a 1.26 ERA with 39 strikeouts and three walks in 282/3 innings and seven saves in eight chances.
"He has a moving fastball that cuts away from the hitter, and he has a plus slider," Legg said.
Now he will unveil them at triple A.
Recent uptick
Leftfielder Cornelius Randolph, the Phillies' first-round pick (10th overall) in 2015, had three straight multihit games entering Thursday to raise his average from .201 to .223 for high-A Clearwater. Randolph, who will turn 20 on Friday, has five home runs and 25 RBIs but has struck out 47 times in 166 at-bats.
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