Phillies Should Wait To Call Up Justin Crawford

The Philadelphia Phillies need to wait till later in the season to call up Justin Crawford. At some point this season, Crawford will be major league ready, but he is not there yet. Crawford is the Phillies top outfield prospect. Additionally, Crawford is currently dealing with an injury that has kept him out of the Triple-A lineup. Crawford, at the very least, needs to get healthy first before a call-up is truly discussed. It is worth mentioning that last week, multiple Lehigh Valley IronPigs games were attended by Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. Crawford did not play in the last three games of that road series against the Charlotte Knights because of the aforementioned quad injury.

Crawford has a .349/.416/.448 line with one home run and 26 RBI in 52 games this season. To add to that, Crawford has a 135 wRC+ and a .440 BABIP this year. Crawford also has 23 stolen bases. This season, Crawford has recorded a 19.2% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate. Crawford has a 51.9% swing rate and an 82.8% contact rate. Across the board, Crawford is putting up career-best or near career-best numbers in rate stat categories. Crawford still has some things to improve on, though, before getting the call to the show. The Phillies have gone 1-9 in their last 10 games, so things may reach a point where those concerns need to be set aside. Crawford has spent a decent amount of time in left field this season, as well as his normal position of center field.

Phillies Need To Wait Before Deciding To Call Up Crawford

Major League Outfield Underperforming

The Phillies have lacked offensive production from the outfield for most of the season. Max Kepler has a .567 OPS and a 59 wRC+ in 32 games since May 1. Kepler also has a 0.30 BB/K rate in that span. Since May 1, Kepler has recorded a .194 BABIP and a .255 wOBA as well. Brandon Marsh has a .644 OPS and a 93 wRC+ in 16 games since May 21. Marsh has a 0.70 BB/K rate in that span. Both Kepler and Marsh have batting averages below the infamous Mendoza Line in those respective stretches. Johan Rojas has a .515 OPS and a 45 wRC+ in 25 games since May 1. Rojas also has a 0.30 BB/K rate in that span. Both Marsh and Rojas can be optioned to the minor leagues.

Reasons To Hold Off On Promotion

While Crawford is excelling at Triple-A, there are some concerns. Crawford has a 4.3% HR/FB rate this season. Furthermore, Crawford has a 4.57 GB/FB rate. Crawford has a career-high 22.4% line drive rate and a 13.9% fly ball rate this year. Before coming up to the majors, Crawford needs to improve how often he lifts the ball. Crawford is fast and gets hits on some occasions, but his ground ball rate is too high. Bryce Harper being on the injured list would also increase the pressure on Crawford to produce immediately at the plate. However, despite the concerns, if the Phillies continue to struggle, it will become necessary to call up Crawford. That point has not arrived yet for the Phillies.