Crawford leads Phils' Spring Training invites
J.P. Crawford turned 22 on Tuesday. His present from the Phillies? A invitation to Florida to participate in Major League Spring Training.Philadelphia's No. 1 prospect is one of three ranked Phillies farmhands to receive a non-roster invite to Spring Training, along with No. 12 and No. 13 prospects Rhys Hoskins
Philadelphia's No. 1 prospect is one of three ranked Phillies farmhands to receive a non-roster invite to Spring Training, along with No. 12 and No. 13 prospects
Crawford is ranked as MLB.com's No. 2 overall prospect, behind White Sox infielder
Hoskins was jockeying for the Minor League home run crown with Fightin Phils teammate Cozens, eventually falling two short with 38 long balls. He finished with an impressive .281/.377/.566 line, 116 RBIs and eight stolen bases to follow an impressive .913 OPS for Class A Lakewood and Class A Advanced Clearwater in 2015.
Kingery was overshadowed by his powerful teammates once he joined the Fightin Phils, but the second baseman had a quietly productive season with Clearwater and Reading, producing a .281/.335/.388 line, 76 runs scored and 30 stolen bases in 37 attempts. The 2015 second-round pick's production fell off in his 37 games with Reading, but the Phillies are intrigued by his advanced approach at the plate and he has the athletic ability to form a nice double-play combination with Crawford.
Others invited to Major League Spring Training including right-handers
Chris Tripodi is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @christripodi.