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J.P. Crawford On A Fast Track In Phillies' System

By Matt Leon

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Shortstop J.P. Crawford was the Phillies first-round pick back in 2013 out of Lakewood High School in California. In just two years as a pro, the 20-year-old Crawford has already made it to Double-A Reading and is widely regarded as not only a top prospect for the Phillies, but one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

Crawford was promoted to Reading at the end of May after dominating the Single-A Florida State League, to the tune of a .392 average with the Clearwater Threshers. Since the promotion, he has hit .299 in 17 games at Double-A with 12 runs scored, a home run, nine RBI's, and 12 walks.

"I love it up here (in Reading)," Crawford told KYW Newsradio after Wednesday night's game in Trenton. "The fan base is great, we have a great team, great group of guys. Teammates have been real good to me, making me feel real comfortable up here."

Listen: J.P. Crawford with KYW's Matt Leon

 

Crawford says it was a noticeable step up in talent going from the Florida State League to the Eastern League.

"You could tell easily," Crawford says. "A lot more experience on the field. Guys have been playing for quite a while now and they know what they're doing out there."

In 214 minor league games in his brief career, Crawford has hit .302 and his career on-base percentage as a pro is .395. There are a lot of Phillies fans keeping a very close eye on Crawford's progress and getting excited about the possibility of him being in Philadelphia sooner rather than later. But he says he is focused on what's in front of him right now.

"Take it one day at a time," Crawford says. "I don't think about that (getting the call to the bigs). You have to go out every day and try to find a way to get better and win a ball game that night."

Crawford and the rest of the Fightin' Phils wrap up their series in Trenton tonight.

You can follow  Matt on twitter @mattleonkyw.

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