J.P. Crawford is serviceable option as injury stopgap
NBC Sports EDGE's Chris Crawford spotlights how well J.P. Crawford's has looked in his last 13 games.
Video Transcript
CHRISTOPHER CRAWFORD: At one point, JP Crawford was considered one of, if not the, best prospects in baseball. Crawford hasn't performed close to that level with either the Phillies or Mariners, but there have been signs of life as of late.
After going 2 for 3 with two runs scored and two doubles in a win over the Angels on Sunday, Crawford is still hitting just .263. But over his last 13 games he's slashing .313, .352, .563, with a couple of homers and a steal. The left-handed hitting infielder is an outstanding defender. And while that doesn't have fantasy relevance on the surface, it does allow him to play every day for Seattle.
The big development here is that the 26-year-old is starting to drive the baseball. He just had one homer and was slugging .318 on May 24. Now there's a reason why Crawford is only rostered in 5% of leagues. Despite above average speed, he doesn't run much. And there's never been a lick of consistency in his time with either Seattle or the Phillies.
That being said, with all of the injuries that have happened to middle infielders, there are worse stopgaps than Crawford right now. If he struggles again, you can find similar alternatives on the bench down the road.