VIDEO: J.P. Crawford hits inside-the-park Grand Slam

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Philadelphia Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford is in the midst of a hot-streak. (Frank Klose/SportsTalkPhilly)

By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor

When you're hot, everything seems to go your way. 

After a season full of anyonmous scouts ripping J.P. Crawford and recent drops on midseason prospect countdown lists, the former first-round draft pick is enjoying the finest month he's had yet at Triple-A. 

This evening, Crawford's impressive month of July continued as he hit an inside-the-park Grand Slam in the team's game against the Gwinnett Braves: 

An inside-the-park Grand Slam is an exciting enough play in itself. An inside-the-park Grand Slam where the ball beats you to home plate and the catcher has the path to the plate blocked is even more exciting.

In sports, when it rains, it often pours. For much of this season, things appeared to be pouring in a less-than-ideal direction for Crawford. In the last few weeks, however, something has changed. 

Crawford, who was hitting just .212 after June, entered the evening slashing .300/.391/.650 with six home runs, 13 RBIs, 12 walks and an OPS of 1.041 in July. He, of course, added a home run and four RBIs tonight, which is rather incredible when you consider that he had just two home runs and 27 RBIs in the first three months of the season. 

Just months after a scout ripped Crawford, who once appeared on the cover of Baseball America, for 'reading too much about how good he is,' Crawford fell all the way to No. 92 on the publication's midseason prospect rankings. In response, he tweeted 'all it is is motivation.' That motivation seems to be paying off for the 22-year-old. 

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