J.P. Crawford during the game. The Tacoma Rainers played the Albuquerque Isotopes in a baseball game at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Wash., on Friday, April 12, 2019. Joshua Bessex joshua.bessex@gateline.com
Seattle Mariners director of player development Andy McKay says there’s a reason why J.P. Crawford was a first-round MLB Draft pick.
There’s a reason Crawford quickly climbed through the minor leagues as a teenager, after completing a record-breaking career at his Southern California high school.
And there’s a reason he made his major-league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies two years ago as a 22-year-old.
“You’re talking about an athlete who can really defend in the middle of the diamond, and give you productive at-bats — and those guys are hard to find,” McKay said.