Latest news with #IronPigs
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Scouting Andrew Painter, George Lombard Jr., The Password, and more MLB prospect notes
Mick Abel's remarkable MLB debut may have just further whetted Phillies fans' appetites for the arrival of their top pitching prospect, right-hander Andrew Painter, who is now pitching for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. I caught Painter on Wednesday in his latest start for the IronPigs. Painter, who ranked No. 12 on my preseason top 100 prospect list, went 71 pitches, four-plus innings, on a very cold and damp night in Allentown, Penn., with the temperature at 50 degrees at first pitch. He was 94-98 throughout the outing and threw a ton of sliders — Statcast calls it a cutter, but Painter told our Matt Gelb this spring that he was ditching that pitch — in what I assume was a plan to have him work on the slider so it'll be ready for major-league hitters. I don't think it's there yet; it's hard, mostly 90-91 and topping out at 93, but the break isn't that tight and he missed consistently with it to his glove side. It runs more than it breaks, which I suppose also might indicate that it's a cutter, and hitters whiffed on the fastball slightly more often than they did on the slider in this game. The curveball was hilarious, to use the technical term, although he only threw a handful, and he didn't throw a single changeup. Advertisement His delivery is still fantastic — how often do you hear me say that about any pitcher? — and he can throw the fastball for strikes, and maybe every other pitch but the slider right now. Bearing in mind that this had to be a miserable night to grip and spin the ball, since it never stopped drizzling while Painter was in the game, I don't think he's ready to step into a big-league rotation right now. The slider is a work in progress, clearly, and I was disappointed not to see the changeup at all. He went to the slider in changeup counts against lefties the entire night, with mixed results; Buffalo (Toronto affiliate) hitters were so geared up for the fastball they might have spun themselves into the ground if he'd flipped a 45 changeup away to them. The fastball plays, and the curveball is a widowmaker. I'm not convinced he needs a slider, but if the plan is to get him to develop one, I would give him some more turns in the Lehigh Valley rotation and wait for consistently warmer weather, too. In the same game, Phillies outfield prospect Justin Crawford (No. 41 on the top 100) did triple on a fly ball to deep center, but he's still generating way too many ground balls for a guy with his strength and potential for power, which I think is because he starts his hands so high. The speed and defense are still there, and he led off the bottom of the first with a great at-bat that, unfortunately, ended in a ground ball. Last Saturday night, I headed to Somerset to see the Double-A affiliates for the Red Sox (Portland Sea Dogs) and Yankees (Somerset Patriots) square off, which turned out to be one of Jhostynxon Garcia's last games at that level before a promotion to Triple A. Known as 'The Password,' Garcia (Red Sox No. 8 prospect) swings very hard and he is very strong, destroying a hanging cutter from Patriots right-hander Trent Sellers for a home run the other way. It was an awful pitch, but Garcia at least did what you're supposed to do with those, and the power he showed was impressive. Advertisement He's shown more zone awareness this year in his return to Double A, going from a 4.8 percent walk rate in a month there last year to 13 percent in a month there this year before his promotion. I saw him chase some fastballs above the zone, which does seem to be a moderate concern based on his data from this season. He can mash, though; even if the walk-rate boost turns out to be a mirage, this is real power, and he seems like at worst he'll be a low-OBP slugger, probably in right field. George Lombard, Jr., the Yankees' first-round pick in 2023, was the primary reason I made the trip, since the team so rudely promoted him the day before he was scheduled to come play a series in my backyard. (Not literally. This isn't Iowa.) Lombard ranked 98 on the preseason top-100 list. He has a great swing, balanced through contact, with some loft in his finish for line-drive power. He hasn't gotten off to a great start in Double A, hitting .195/.352/.195 through Wednesday night, and from what I saw, it may be a matter of adjusting to pitchers messing with timing. The high walk rate is a function of good strike-zone judgment, yet he'll swing the bat — I got 12 swings from him on the night, so he's up there to hit, not take. He was just slightly off on some pitches he'll probably square up later this year. Pitchers attacked him with sliders and cutters, likely better quality versions of those pitches than what he was seeing in High A, and it'll probably take him some time to adjust, maybe the rest of the summer. He played an easy shortstop, although he drops down to throw, putting some two-seam action on throws to first that is going to make them harder to receive. Catcher Rafael Flores (Yankees No. 13 prospect) was an undrafted free agent when Yankees scout Dave Keith signed him in the summer of 2022. He's going to get to the majors as a backup catcher and maybe a platoon bat off the bench, as he has at least above-average power and can whack a fastball. He's been chasing pitches out of the zone more this year, although that wasn't an issue on Saturday, as he went 3-for-5 with a no-doubt homer and only chased one pitch of the 16 he saw on the night. Advertisement It's an easy swing and he's strong enough to pull the ball out to left consistently enough that if he were a better defender, I'd say he was going to be an everyday catcher. He's just OK behind the plate, though, and may not have the arm to be a primary backstop. There's a major-league role for him somewhere. Shortstop Mikey Romero (Red Sox No. 19 prospect) was Boston's first pick in the 2022 draft, going at pick No. 24, 55 spots ahead of current No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony. Unlike Anthony, Romero has had a lot of adversity in pro ball, as a serious back injury ruined his 2023 season and his performance last year still wasn't up to expectations. There's some good news here, as he's way more filled out now and I think the power he flashed last year (16 homers in 78 games) might be real, or at least more than I thought it was. He's still too aggressive at the plate, and he had some bad hacks at changeups, whiffing at least twice on them, although with two strikes he stayed back better and lined one to left, which says there might be some more pitch recognition in there than the raw data indicate. He played third base in this game and looked much better suited to that position than shortstop. He's only 21 and would be in this draft had he gone to college. There's still time for him to tighten up the approach and find a path to the big leagues, even if it's just as a utility infielder who has some left-handed pop. Boston acquired right-hander Dave Sandlin (Red Sox No. 9 prospect) in the trade that sent reliever John Schreiber to Kansas City in February 2024, a deal I loved at the time for Boston, as Sandlin was among the Royals' top 10 prospects and looked like a potential back-end starter. The Red Sox have turned him into a slider- and cutter-heavy guy who seems destined for the bullpen at this point, even though he has a decent fastball. It's a four-seamer, mostly 94-95, with a little ride, and he did get misses on it up in the zone, with a little deception from a huge torso turn in his delivery so that the ball appears late. For some reason, though, he's deprecated the fastball in favor of a slider and a cutter: He went from throwing 58 percent fastballs (according to data from Synergy) in 2023, his last year in the Royals' system, but is at just 42 percent fastballs so far this year. The slider has some tilt to it and is almost slurvy, at 82-84, while the cutter was 85-88 and was maybe average if I'm feeling generous. He got just one whiff on the cutter by my count out of the nine he had in the game. Maybe the fastball isn't as effective as I think it is, but he has a 5.30 ERA since the trade, so it's fair to say the current pitching plan for Sandlin isn't working out. (Top photo of Painter: Miles Kennedy / Philadelphia Phillies)
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Garrett Stubbs Excited to Catch Phillies No. 1 Prospect Andrew Painter
All eyes will be on one man in the Phillies minor league system tonight. For another person in the same ballpark, it's quite literally his job. "I appreciate everyone coming to watch me play tonight," Garrett Stubbs joked to the media. Advertisement Stubbs, the former backup Phillies catcher, isn't the reason for Philadelphia media making the hour trip north to Lehigh Valley. That honor goes to Andrew Painter, Philly's No. 1 prospect who is set to make his first Triple-A start with the IronPigs. Stubbs will be behind the plate as Painter's battery mate, with the job of guiding him through his first taste of major league quality talent. Painter pitched well in his rehab starts but did so against the lowest level of professional competition. Before that, he never tossed an inning above Double-A. Garrett Stubbs spent three seasons as Philly's backup catcher. Now, he pairs up with several of their pitching prospects at Triple-A, using his MLB experience to help them Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images "I'm excited," Stubbs said about catching Painter. "I think everyone's excited... Everyone knows how good he is, how good he can be. So I'm excited for him, mostly. He's had a lot to overcome his first couple years in pro baseball." Advertisement Painter missed two entire seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. Despite that, he's still considered to be the No. 7 prospect across all of MLB. With a fastball that can reach 100 mph and an above-average slider and changeup, the 22-year-old has the potential to become a front-end starter in what's already a stacked Philadelphia rotation. Stubbs has stayed healthy throughout his career, but the vet knowns how fortunate Painter has been to recover from the injury with his velocity - and pedigree - intact. "To get to this point is tough. I haven't had to go through it, but I know a lot of guys that have. So to get to the point where he's pitching in a real game, especially at this level, is awesome." Painter had thrown three innings in each of his previous three starts with Single-A Clearwater. This time, he's set to go four innings or about 60-65 pitches, according to Lehigh Valley manager Anthony Contreras. Advertisement As for Stubbs, who has quickly become a fan favorite and key contributor for the 'Pigs, he is staying focused on finding his own path back to the majors. Working a little magic with Painter's progression can't hurt his odds. Tonight's game is free to stream on with first pitch at 6:45 EST. Related: Phillies' Trea Turner Reveals New Offensive Approach Amid Recent Hot-Stretch
New York Times
10-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Phillies minors notes: Justin Crawford's drive, Otto Kemp's dream, Moisés Chace's velo drop
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Around the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, they talk about Justin Crawford's sometimes ugly, sometimes unconventional, sometimes annoying swings as a source of pride. Crawford, 21, is the youngest player on the team. He is one of the youngest in the entire International League. He probably should not be here. He probably should not be hitting .318/.386/.411 in his first 145 plate appearances at Triple A. Advertisement This is what they love about Crawford: He competes. And, while that might sound like a derogatory term to compliment someone without enough talent, teammates and coaches insist otherwise. Crawford has fouled off more pitches (146) than any player in Triple A. He has innate bat-to-ball skills. This is part of his game; he'll often have a 10-pitch at-bat that drives the opposing pitcher mad. It might result in a groundout. Maybe he'll shoot the ball down the left-field line. He's walking at a career-best rate. It's not always pretty. So far, it's working for Crawford, even against Triple-A pitching. 'I'm honestly still kind of making adjustments,' Crawford said. 'I mean, it's not really easy. But just trusting my routine, my approach and just doing everything that I've done to get here has just helped me stay even-keeled.' The Phillies nudged Crawford to Triple A because they thought he could handle it, but also because they believed some adversity could help his development. Rival evaluators are split on Crawford because of a swing tailored to produce groundballs; his ground-ball rate remains one of the highest in the minors. But it's hard to convince a player to make adjustments when he's having success. So the Phillies have let it ride. 'He's one of the most competitive kids we have,' Phillies farm director Luke Murton said. 'And one of the most talented kids we have. He is unorthodox. And there's been unorthodox guys in the big leagues. And all he does is keep having success. Is somebody ready for a level, or are they not ready? Nobody really knows until they get there and they do it. I think the biggest thing with him, I felt like as a group, we really trusted the person. We trusted that if it doesn't go how he wants it to go, that he can handle it mentally. And if it does go great, then it's icing on the cake. 'He's done tremendous. He continues to make adjustments. He gets better and better every day, every year. So we're excited about where he's at right now.' GO DEEPER For Phillies' Justin Crawford, day in left provides full-circle moment as he makes own way Few farmhands generated as much buzz in the season's first six weeks as 25-year-old infielder Otto Kemp, an undrafted free agent from tiny Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) University, who is hitting .331/.423/.662 at Triple A. Kemp ranks near the top of the International League in every offensive category. Advertisement 'He's gritty,' IronPigs manager Anthony Contreras said. 'He asks the right questions. He's trying to get better every single day. He's coming to me asking for early work. He's doing all the little things that a professional is supposed to do.' Evaluators project Kemp as an offensive-first bench player. His current path to the Phillies is only as a replacement if someone in the majors suffers an injury. Kemp is limited defensively; his bat is what will carry him. Kemp has feasted on fastballs at Triple A. He is hitting .340 with an .800 slugging percentage against them. The average fastball velocity he's seen is 92.2 mph, according to Statcast data. The average major-league fastball is 94 mph. That he's this close to the majors is remarkable. The last undrafted hitter signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent to reach the majors with them was infielder Jeff Grotewold, who had 75 plate appearances in 1992. (This does not count foreign players, who are not eligible to be drafted and are signed as amateur free agents.) Other undrafted amateurs have played in the majors with the Phillies — Chris Coste, originally signed by Pittsburgh, is one. Daniel Nava, Rod Barajas and Ramón Martínez — all signed by other organizations — are the only other draft-eligible but undrafted Phillies hitters in the last 30 years. The most successful undrafted hitters across MLB in the last 20 years are Nava, TJ Friedl, Mike Brosseau, Mike Ford and Chris Colabello. So it's not unprecedented. But it is rare for all 30 clubs to miss on a draft-eligible player. 'Going undrafted, it was kind of a stab to the heart, honestly,' Kemp said. 'I didn't really know exactly what pro ball looked like after that. I didn't really have anybody I knew that went into pro ball. So I didn't know what that road was going to look like, which is kind of the beauty of it. Life can take you a lot of different ways that you don't necessarily think or dream of. So it's been a cool process to see. Look back four years ago when my name didn't get called and seeing where I'm at, that's the beauty of dreaming.' Kemp is expected to play only third base and left field. He's started 13 games on the right side of the infield this season and only three in left field. By the time Moisés Chace struck out 13 batters and permitted one hit in a stellar six-inning outing last Aug. 31 at Double-A Reading, the Phillies had a decent idea they'd add the righty to their 40-man roster. He came to them last summer in the Gregory Soto trade with the Baltimore Orioles. He threw hard. His fastball graded well on stuff metrics. He was a rising prospect who cracked some industry Top 100 lists. Advertisement He has not resembled that pitcher in 2025. Chace, 21, is back at Reading. He has a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings with 17 strikeouts and 11 walks. But his fastball velocity has had a sharp decline. Chace pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings on Wednesday at Binghamton, but his fastball sat 90.7 mph, according to another club's data. He topped out at 92.7 mph. Last season, Chace's fastball averaged 94.4 mph. He touched 97 mph at times. His fastball has averaged at 90.8 mph this season. The Phillies were concerned when Chace reported to his first big-league spring training not in the best pitching shape. It's unclear how much he threw in the offseason, or if he threw at all from a mound while at home in Venezuela. The organization does not believe he is hurt, so it has continued to pitch him. 'In all honesty, we're searching for answers,' Murton said. 'I don't have answers.' Murton was in Binghamton this week and saw Chace pitch. The Phillies were willing to be patient and had hoped the velocity would return by now. It hasn't. Chace represents one of the farm system's bigger disappointments thus far; had he come to camp looking like the pitcher from last summer, he might have reached the majors by now as a reliever. 'When you don't have the answer and he's not hurt, you keep throwing him,' Murton said. 'The silver lining is, when the velocity comes back, he's learning how to pitch with lesser velocity. Which will help him in the long run. That part I'm excited about. But I wish I had a better answer.' • The Phillies were excited to receive righty Eiberson Castellano back from the Minnesota Twins, who had selected him in the Rule 5 draft but did not keep him on their big-league roster. Castellano returned to Double-A Reading and made a strong impression in April, striking out 16 batters and walking two in 15 innings. The Phillies were prepared to make Castellano a full-time reliever. But he went on the injured list last week with a strained right shoulder. The injury is not considered serious, but it'll cost him a few weeks. Advertisement • It's been a struggle for spring standout Gabriel Rincones Jr., who is batting .230/.282/.377 at Triple A. He's produced against righties, but is 3-for-31 with no extra-base hits and seven strikeouts against lefty pitchers. Rincones might have the best raw power in the system; he took a prodigious batting practice Thursday afternoon. He projects as the strong side of a platoon in the majors. • No one needed a strong April like Mick Abel did. He slogged through 108 2/3 innings of a 6.46 ERA in 2024 and tumbled down the prospect rankings. But, in 2025, the 2020 first-round pick has 42 strikeouts and 17 walks in 39 1/3 innings with a 2.75 ERA. It hasn't been perfect, but it's been better. Rival evaluators have seen a more composed pitcher who is competing. 'I see a different presence on the mound,' Contreras said of Abel, who turns 24 in August. 'I see the little boy in him kind of leaving. I see him turning into the man that he's naturally going to turn into. You can just hear it in his voice when you're having conversations with him. That's what's exciting. 'I think he knows what he can do. He's starting to get deep in ball games, hold his velocity, throw his breaking balls for strikes. There are so many positives to what his season looks like so far. Now it's just stay healthy, stay on track, do what you've been doing.' • The pitcher to watch at High-A Jersey Shore is Alex McFarlane, who has not allowed an earned run in his past three starts (12 1/3 innings) with 15 strikeouts and four walks. McFarlane, who turns 24 in June, missed all of 2024 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. His fastball is sitting 95 mph in 2025. He's incorporated a splitter into his arsenal. Rival evaluators see him as a future reliever. • Numerous teams asked the Phillies about Aroon Escobar in trade talks last summer despite Escobar being sidelined for much of the season by shin splints. He's played only 49 games stateside. But Escobar hits the ball hard and is considered one of the organization's best prospects. He shows an advanced approach at the plate. Advertisement Escobar is a stocky 20-year-old second baseman. He's batted .309/.427/.526 at Low-A Clearwater this season. 'He's been tremendous,' Murton said. 'He's done just everything. Defensively, he's gotten better. Offensively, he continues to improve. We're excited about what he's doing.' (Top photo of Justin Crawford: Jonathan Tenca / Cal Sport Media / Associated Press)
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
At Triple A, Phillies' Andrew Painter enters new stage: ‘Think like a big-league pitcher'
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Andrew Panter walked toward the Lehigh Valley IronPigs dugout after the third inning Thursday night and shook his head in disgust. 'I love,' catcher Garrett Stubbs later said, 'that he was pissed.' That is the whole point of the top Phillies prospect's assignment to the International League. Advertisement It's time to play the game. 'Before the game,' Stubbs said, 'I told him, 'Look, there's going to be at least one time during this game where something doesn't go the way that we want it to. … Something's going to happen and you're going to have to be a man and be a competitor and figure your way out of it. And so that moment happened.' No one will remember the 60 pitches Painter threw Thursday over three scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut against Worcester, putting him one step away from the majors. Most of those 60 pitches were competitive. He featured a sharp curveball. He touched 98 mph. He even threw back-to-back changeups to a hitter. It could have been better; it could have been worse. Painter, 22, has not been a rehabbing pitcher for a few months now. But, as he walked off the mound at Coca-Cola Park, it marked the unofficial end of an arduous recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in July 2023. Before Thursday, Painter's four appearances this season were about removing the rust from years without facing another team. (His only other game action in the past two years came in the Arizona Fall League in 2024.) He had to establish his fastball. He had to prove to himself he could do the most basic things on a mound. He was doing all of this against inferior hitters in the Florida State League. Now, Painter has to pitch. 'This is the easiest way to say it: He's been, rightfully and intentionally so, me versus myself,' Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham said earlier in the week. 'Because there's a progression. There are some limits. And, yeah, he's got great stuff. So he can go do that and get a lot of people out. Now, it's going to start shifting more to me versus you. It's: 'I'm going to do anything I can to win today.' It's progressing to that type of mindset. Finding spots to take the reins off and be like, 'Hey, this is your game. Go beat them.'' Advertisement In the third inning, Painter recorded two quick outs then started to tire. His pitch count rose higher than it's been since September 2022. He walked the bases loaded. The first walk, to touted Boston Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony, was a good fight. The next two walks were not as competitive. With the bases loaded, he ran a full-count to a hitter with 400 career plate appearances in the majors and fired a 95 mph fastball. Painter escaped with a popout to first base. GO DEEPER Top 100 MLB prospects 2025: Keith Law's rankings, with Roman Anthony at No. 1 In an ideal world, Painter would have been more efficient and pitched into the fourth inning. Whatever. The Phillies would rather save the inning for later in the season anyway. 'Worked myself out of a jam,' Painter said, 'and at the end of the day, can't complain about that.' Baseball's top pitching prospect is now at Triple-A. What work of art did @Phillies right-hander Andrew Painter craft in his @IronPigs debut? 🎨 — Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 9, 2025 The Phillies are excited to see Painter at this level because, at times, it looked like he was on autopilot while at Low-A Clearwater. He acknowledged it; he was throwing so many fastballs in his four starts there. Hitters, even the youngest ones, figured it out. Even three years ago, before his elbow surgery, Painter was a fastball-heavy pitcher as he ascended to Double A as a teenager. 'It is time, probably starting now, to embrace the art of pitching,' Cotham said. 'Or the art of planning to pitch. That's just another step that everyone has to go through.' Painter often uses his high-powered fastball earlier in counts because he commands it so well. When ahead in the count, he'll go to his breaking balls. Or he'll just throw more fastballs. Painter had thrown a first-pitch fastball to 34 of the 45 batters (75 percent) he faced in his four starts at Low A. He did it to 10 of 13 batters in Thursday's start. Most of them were called strikes. One was a popout. Advertisement Stubbs, considered a strong pitch caller, will be Painter's professor at Triple A. He still called a bunch of fastballs — 45 percent of the time — and the advanced stuff won't come until Painter's second or third start with the IronPigs. In Stubbs' mind, Painter has to be a part of the process. See how hitters react. Learn what works here. Learn what does not. 'We'll learn a lot about him as a competitor,' Stubbs said. 'That's what this is about. We know how good the stuff is.' Painter struck out five in three innings. All five strikeouts came on the curveball. It's a premium pitch when right. He's throwing a slider that he manipulates depending on the count or situation; he can throw it harder with more vertical movement or a little softer — around 87-88 mph — with horizontal run. It might be two different pitches, but Painter is calling it one slider for now. Then, there's the changeup. It's a newer pitch, one that Cotham sees as essential. The Phillies, who rallied to complete a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, emphasized it during the spring. It remains a work in progress, but it's a pitch Painter can deploy to be less predictable. To begin the third inning, facing Worcester's No. 8 hitter Corey Rosier, Painter went slider, changeup, changeup, curveball. Rosier took the first changeup for a ball, then swung through the next one. Stubbs challenged Painter there. Had he ever thrown consecutive changeups to a hitter? 'I don't think so,' Painter said. 'That's something I've been working on this spring. Still getting used to it, but the only way it's going to get better is with reps.' That's the whole point of this. The Phillies have an elaborate plan for Painter, who has now logged 14 1/3 innings in the minors this season. They are trying to preserve as many innings as they can for the summer when Painter could be in the majors. Right now, there is no rush. The Phillies have a strong and healthy rotation. They have time for Painter to explore the intricacies of sequencing a veteran Triple-A hitter. Advertisement Stubbs saw hints of it Thursday night. At one point, Painter shook off a pitch Stubbs called. The young righty wanted to go changeup. He shook a few more times that inning. 'I love that he was starting to gain some confidence in that third inning and really feeling like he wanted to go to certain pitches,' Stubbs said. 'That just tells me he was starting to think along with the game.' So, by that measure, Thursday was a success. In the majors, the Phillies want their starters to have a balanced portfolio against righty and lefty hitters. There is more planning; Cotham is intentional with how he asks the catchers to lead his pitchers through an opposing lineup. The mission at Triple A, then, is rather straightforward. 'Think like a big-league pitcher,' Cotham said. Painter is not one. Everyone expects him to be one — and soon. For now, a little adversity with three consecutive walks and a rising pitch count is the best teacher. 'I worked myself out of it,' Painter said. 'There's no one coming to get you. So, it's really just you against the hitter.' (Top photo of Andrew Painter: Mike Carlson / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
CBS News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Phillies prospect Justin Crawford knocking on the door of the majors after hot start with Lehigh Valley
Justin Crawford has only been in the Lehigh Valley for five weeks. Hard to tell given how well the Phillies' No. 2 hitting prospect has acclimated himself to Triple-A, a move he initially didn't see coming. Crawford only played 40 games in Double-A Reading, yet the Phillies thought they had seen enough to bump the 21-year-old outfielder up a level. Crawford has played just 30 games for the IronPigs, yet hits beyond his years. "I think I'm obviously still kinda making adjustments. It's not really easy," Crawford said. "But I've kinda been just trusting my routine, my approach. Doing everything that I've done to get here has helped me just stay even keel. I'm taking it one at-bat at a time." Through those first 30 games, Crawford has hit .323 with 41 hits on the young season — an average of 1.4 hits per game. He's stolen 10 bases and driven in 13 runs while scoring 19, striking out 29 times and walking 14 times (9.9% walk rate). His OPS is at .805, the same number as last season when Crawford breezed through High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading. Crawford has been the top of the lineup presence the IronPigs have needed. "He's a young kid playing at the highest level," IronPigs manager Anthony Contreras said. "He has a knack for just finding the barrel. To some, it might look unorthodox the way he kinda goes about it, but he has this knack of spoiling pitches and extending these ABs that allow him to see more pitches. "When good hitters can do that, he puts himself in a good position." Crawford is 11th in the International League in average, tied for 11th in stolen bases and fourth in hits. There are still parts of Crawford's game he's learning, yet he's playing like a seasoned vet in Triple-A rather than a 21-year-old rookie. "Obviously, it's definitely better," Crawford said of Triple-A pitching. "I think just facing older guys that have been in the big leagues, have big league time. They're finer. They have more of a game plan, trying to pitch to me and get me out. "The pitchers are just more fine. They paint the corners a little bit more. You don't get as many middle heaters as you would normally get at the lower levels. They put the ball where they wanna put it." There is no rush to get Crawford to the big leagues, even though he's accelerating that clock with every passing hit. Crawford could be the Phillies center fielder at some point this season, but that talk has died down with the improved play of Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas — who currently occupy the position for the big league club. Crawford is knocking on that door to the major leagues. He's not putting any pressure on himself to get there either. "I really truly don't think about it," Crawford said. "I'm kinda self-focused on just trying to get a hit in my next at bat, to be honest, and playing defense. I don't let my mind go there. Whenever it does, things just don't go the way I want. "I kinda always figured to stay as present as possible and just worry about the next pitch. That's kind of helped me stay in the moment." That time will come for Crawford soon.
