By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Despite getting swept in the first round of the Governor's Cup Playoffs, the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs had a successful season filled with a team that included a handful of the Philadelphia Phillies top prospects throughout the season. Following the Ironpigs playoff exit, the Phillies recalled a group of four players, but two big names were left out in J.P. Crawford and Nick Williams.
Leading up to September roster expansions, there wasn't too much of an indication as to whether Crawford or Williams would join the Phillies after the conclusion of the minor league playoffs. The most recent round of call-ups, though, points towards neither of them getting the call this year despite the Phillies having little to play for when push comes to shove. While there are reasonable arguments from both sides as to whether or not the duo of top prospects would benefit from a big league call, their recent play in Triple-A shows that they aren't quite ready for that stage quite yet.
J.P. Crawford, the Phillies top overall prospect, ended the season going through growing pains offensively. Crawford was promoted to Lehigh Valley in the middle of May and hit .243 in June before breaking out to hit .300 in July. Like Williams though, August was a different story for Crawford. In 20 games, he hit just .189, but still walked (14) more than striking out (12), which was a promising thing to see. In the second half though, Crawford only hit .212 over 40 games after hitting .270 in 47 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the first half. Though the late season numbers look somewhat concerned, keep in mind Crawford is still only 21, making him one of the youngest players at the Triple-A level. Between Reading and Lehigh Valley, Crawford finished with a .250 average to go along with 19 doubles, a triple, seven homers, 43 RBIs, 63 runs scored, 72 walks and 80 strikeouts.
Nick Williams looked like a guy who would be a sure September call-up after hitting .303 in June and .273 in July. Then August came and things changed for the 23-year-old outfielder. He hit just .179 in August, striking out 36 times in 95 at-bats. Things didn't get better in September, as he went 3-for-21 in the five games prior to the playoffs and 2-for-9 with five strikeouts in the opening round. To add insult to injury, Williams left Friday's game early after crashing into the wall trying to run down a ball in foul territory. It's clear that Williams does have the potential that will get him to the majors, but the end of the season in Lehigh Valley showed his flaws with plate discipline that needs more work at the Triple-A level. Overall in 2016, he hit .258 with 33 doubles, six triples, 14 homers, 64 RBIs, 78 runs scored, 19 walks and 136 strikeouts.
There is still time for the Phillies to call upon either Williams or Crawford, but with Williams leaving Friday's game early and Crawford mired in a second-half slump, they are likely to send the two home for the fall.
