If there's anyone whose opinion should be valued about the shortstop position in Philadelphia, it's Larry Bowa. Bowa, who played for the Phillies from 1970-1981, was long considered the greatest shortstop in Phillies' history. Of course, he has since been surpassed by Jimmy Rollins, who Bowa both managed and coached at different points in his career.
Tuesday, Bowa joined CSN Philly's Breakfast on Broad to discuss his thoughts on the player that many believe will be the next great Phillies' short-stop, top prospect J.P. Crawford.
"The way he's progressed through the system, I would say he's very close," Bowa said of Crawford. "It would not shock me to see him here in the middle of the year if he continues to progress.
"We're in a situation right now where we can let these guys do their own thing at each level and, so far, he's made adjustments everywhere he's gone. He started off slow in A ball. At the end, he picked it up. At Double A, he did the same thing … it's a game of adjustments and this kid's got a great head on his shoulders. It's just a matter of time."
Crawford is 21 and has been invited to the team's big league camp for spring training. Due to him probably needing some seasoning and service time technicalities, it would be major upset (as in it's all but impossible) for Crawford to make the opening day roster.
Crawford is ranked as one of the top five prospects in all of baseball by nearly every publication, and players of that caliber don't normally spend much time at the triple-a level. That means Crawford will probably open the season double-a, and then spend a few weeks at triple-a before being called up to the big league level. Whether Bowa's exact timeline will come to fruition remains to be seen, but he's probably on to something when he suggests that Crawford will make his big league debut in 2016.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
