Phillies Select SS Crawford with 16th Overall Pick, Catcher Knapp Taken in 2nd Round

The Phillies took another player out of Lakewood High School with their first pick in the MLB amateur draft on Thursday night. J.P. Crawford became the third player taken by the Phils from the southern California school with an early round pick in the past seven seasons. Last year, righty pitcher Shane Watson, who played with Crawford since both prospects were very young, was taken by the Phils with their first pick, 40th overall. Watson's older brother Scotty played with the other of the Phils' Lakewood High draft picks, Travis d'Arnaud.

Crawford, a lefty batting shortstop, is highly touted and is said to have tremendous defensive abilities at his position with exceptional range and a strong arm. The 18-year-old hit .432 in 25 games in his senior season this year and is his school's all-time leader in hits and runs scored. Offensively, he has a high ceiling, but does not project to hit for great power.

The youngster is a cousin of Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford. Additionally, his father Larry played professional football in Canada.

The 6-foot-2 175-pounder is committed to playing college ball at the University of Southern California on a full-ride scholarship, but according to Phillies assistant general manager in charge of amateur scouting Marti Wolever, as told to CSNPhilly.com, Crawford is ready to sign his first pro contract.

"All indications are that he’s ready to start his professional career, but that’s a difficult decision to make,” Wolever said. “Southern Cal is a great option for him to have, but as far as development goes, I think what we have to offer is a leg up on what he might entertain by going to school."

And when gauging how likely a player is to sign, it's important to keep in mind that while a full scholarship is not something to scoff at, that it is standard for contracts of high school draft choices to include full college tuition paid at a time of the signee's choosing over a four-year period.

Crawford was selected 16th overall by the Phillies with their highest pick since they took Gavin Floyd with the 4th pick in 2001.

Also drafted on Thursday by the Phillies was catcher Andrew Knapp. The 21-year-old is a University of California product and led the Golden Bears in batting average this year with a .350 mark, and slammed eight homers with 41 RBI.

The lefty hitting Knapp is not related to righty hurler Jason Knapp, who was the Phils' 2nd round selection back in 2008 and ended up being a key trade chip when the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee from the Indians.

I suppose there's not much wrong with taking the best player available, but if there is one position the Phils don't need more depth in, it's catcher. With currently injured 21-year-old Tommy Joseph, 22-year-old walking trade bait Sebastian Valle and emerging 23-year-old Cameron Rupp all making progress at the upper levels of the organization's developmental ranks, this early draft spot could have been better used.

The Phillies will make their next selections in the draft on Friday. Their upcoming spots in the draft are in the 3rd round with the 89th and 96th picks. Selections of the 3rd through 10th rounds will take place beginning on Friday at 12:30 PM, while rounds 11 through 40 will take place on Saturday starting at 1 PM.

A sampling of Crawford's on-field skills can be viewed in the media player below.

Batting practice and game hitting footage of Knapp can be seen in the media player below.

Jersey Shore clinches playoff berth on final day of regular season

Ottto Kemp, image- Jay Floyd With an extra-inning victory over first-half division champions Hudson Valley on Sunday, the Class A Advanced Jersey Shore BlueClaws clinched the team's first playoff appearance since 2018, winning the second-half division title. Key performers in the BlueClaws' clincher were righty hurler Jason Ruffcorn, who threw three innings of relief to earn the victory and third baseman Otto Kemp, notched three hits, a walk, two stolen bases and plated the game winning run in the 11th inning on a sacrifice fly. On top of that, Kemp, who turned 24-years-old on Saturday, made an absolute game-saving defensive play to help the club hold their lead in the bottom of the 11th frame. One of Jersey Shore's most consistent performers all season long has been right-handed reliever Cam Wynne. The Phillies' 20th round draft pick in 2021 out of Nebraska. In 34 appearances, one start, the 24-year-old tallied a 1-1 record with one save, a 2.44 ERA and a .190 batti

PhoulBallz Interview: BlueClaws OF Justin Crawford

Justin Crawford w/ junior reporter Evan At the age of 19, outfielder Justin Crawford has played his way into the conversation of being considered as one of baseball's top prospects. The son of four-time MLB All-Star Carl Crawford, Justin has looked every bit as impressive as his position as the 17th overall draft selection last year would have most fans thinking he should be. He opened the season with Class A Clearwater where, in 69 games, he notched a .344/.399/.478 slash line. And since mid-August when he was promoted to Class A Advanced Jersey Shore, the younger Crawford has posted a .300/.364/.440 line. He's also stolen 44 bases in 52 attempts overall. And while the BlueClaws enter the final week of the regular season 1/2 game out of first place in their division, I spoke with Justin Crawford about the team's hopes of making the postseason for the first time since 2018. I also asked Justin about the similarities and differences between his skillset and his father'

RHP Pipkin headed to AFL after hot August

After completing what was easily the best month of his career, righty hurler Dominic Pipkin is ready to face the tough competition of the prominent Arizona Fall Leage. Pipkin, who was the Phillies' 9th round draft selection in 2018, has had moderate success in his five years as a pro, posting a 4.93 ERA, a 7.6 K/9 mark and a .260 batting average against mostly at the lower levels on the minors. After missing time this year with an unspecified ailment, the six-foot-four 170-pounder proved to be healthy as he dominated AA competition in nine appearances with the Reading Fightin Phils during August. Pipkin's impressive production resulted in a 1-0 record with a save and a 0.96 ERA while striking out eight and walking three in 9 1/3 innings. The California native says his efforts to improve have helped him touch 100 MPH on the radar gun, while his fastball velocity is mostly around 96 MPH. Pipkin's arsenal includes that improved fastball as well as a slider while his curve

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