@Philabaseball
The Phillies selected shortstop J.P. Crawford on Thursday night with the 16th overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft.
Crawford, whose cousin is Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford, starred the past four years at Lakewood High School in California, setting school records in hits (179), runs scored (162), stolen bases (73) and walks (72).
In addition to his offensive skill set, Crawford brings a strong arm with great range to the shortstop position and he widely is considered one of the best high school infielders in the country.
"The kid can do it all, he really can," one associate scout told the Review. "It will take him some time, but he's likely good enough to stick at short and make his way up the organization to eventually take the starting role at the big league level."
The 6-2, 175-pounder has a long swing which is something he'll need to work on, plus scouts say his set up at times is a bit too high at the plate. Given his size, he still has room to fill out and add more power and he already sprays the ball to all fields.
In addition to his offensive skill set, Crawford brings a strong arm with great range to the shortstop position and he widely is considered one of the best high school infielders in the country."The kid can do it all, he really can," one associate scout told the Review. "It will take him some time, but he's likely good enough to stick at short and make his way up the organization to eventually take the starting role at the big league level."
The 6-2, 175-pounder has a long swing which is something he'll need to work on, plus scouts say his set up at times is a bit too high at the plate. Given his size, he still has room to fill out and add more power and he already sprays the ball to all fields.
"It means a lot, especially coming from Jimmy Rollins down to me," Crawford told the MLB Network, when asked about the Phillies selecting him in the first round. "Hopefully I can learn something from him and take his place."
- Patrick Gordon is the Managing Editor of the Philadelphia Baseball Review. Follow him on Twitter @Philabaseball or contact him at pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com.
