Larry Bowa, whether he was a player, coach, manager or an analyst, has never minced words. To a degree, that quality caused him to have a shelf life as a manager. But as an analyst, or a coach speaking to the media, that quality has made Bowa a great interview.
ESPN's Jayson Stark recently sat down with Bowa, who discussed top shortstop prospect J.P. Crawford. While Bowa never fails to speak his mind when's he discontent with a situation, he also is very complimentary of players that impress him, a mold that Crawford apparently fits.
"I see a kid who's got a lot of confidence. … He's got very soft hands. … His first step is very quick. … I love his swing. … He's got a nice backhand. He's still working on that. … But his set-up and everything, he's got quick feet. … There's really not a play, just doing fundamentals, that he's not going to be able to make. … The slow-hit ball, he probably needs a little work on, but other than that … his exchange on double plays is very good."
Bowa even suggested that Crawford, who is a universally considered one of the top seven prospects in the league, 'probably could' play at the big-league level to start this season.
"There's no panic whatsoever in whatever he's doing," Bowa says, actually pausing to take a breath. "And it's not a cool look. It's a look of confidence. He believes he can play up here. I think right now, he believes he can play up here. And he probably could. But let's let the maturation process play out a little bit."
Crawford, 21, uncharacteristically struggled in the field in yesterday's win over the New York Yankees, perhaps proving Bowa's point that it would be best for Crawford to start the season in the minors.
If a player spends 172 or more out of 183 possible days in the major leagues, it counts as a year of service time. The Phillies will undoubtedly keep Crawford down until he can't reach that many service days, much like they did with Maikel Franco last year, though he's unlikely to get an immediate call-up after that deadline passes. Depending on how well Crawford plays, he could join the big league club in June or July, injecting some energy into what's probably not going to be a very good team record-wise.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
