On Phils sites, the faithful proved again they do not have the patience of Job. Yes, some were ready to deal Moniak as part of a trade package. On the other hand, very few top prospects have a completely smooth path to the top.
While others expressed their disappointment in Crawford, many fans were handing him the shortstop job for some reason. Probably, years of hype. But Williams, however, is free of Crawford’s expectations because he was an acquisition from the Texas Rangers. Lucky him.
With comparisons to Robinson Cano, outfielder Randolph, 20, batted .274 with a .355 OBP at Lakewood to receive a promotion to Clearwater. But hitting .250 for the 2017 Threshers was his first speed bump. And his test for 2018 at Clearwater will begin for at least the first two months or the first half of his fourth season to advance to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.
At Double-A, the successful pitchers have major league talent and are predominantly throwing fastballs, but their accuracy is 40 percent compared to 70 percent in the majors. In other words, this is the highest plateau where natural ability is enough for standouts.
For Crawford, 22, the competition at Clearwater slowed him down to .275 after a second half promotion during his second summer. But he rebounded early the following campaign for an advancement to Reading. However, tougher opponents held him down to .265 for rest of 2015 and the first half of 2016, but his plate discipline earned him a promotion to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The shortstop, unfortunately, only batted .244 and .243 for ’16 and ’17 respectively, but the difference in the second half of last year was a more aggressive hitting approach to produce a .287 mark. Ergo, a September call-up.
"IN OTHER WORDS: “I remember going from rookie ball to A, to double A, then to triple A. At every level it seemed like the game was faster. The bigger the situation, the more the game speeds up. That’s all mental. It messes people up.” – Derek “Captain Clutch” Jeter"