‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Farm director Luke Murton on Crawford, Painter, a sleeper to watch, and more
From Andrew Painter’s path to the majors to the reasoning behind fast-tracking Justin Crawford to triple A, Murton shares insight into the Phillies’ developmental decisions.
Never mind that Justin Crawford just turned 21 in January. Or that he spent less than two months last season at double A.
The Phillies pushed him to open the season in triple A.
Crawford is off to a solid start, too. Entering the week, the center field prospect was batting .293 (24-for-82) with a .337 on-base percentage and eight stolen bases in 19 games for Lehigh Valley.
But what went into the decision to challenge Crawford? Luke Murton, the Phillies’ director of minor league operations, sat down with Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball show, to discuss Crawford and several other prospects. Here’s an excerpt from our wide-ranging conversation, which has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Watch the full interview below.
Q: A lot of people probably expected that Justin Crawford would start the season back at double-A Reading. What went into the decision to challenge him with an assignment to triple-A Lehigh Valley?
A: We talked with the group. We felt like it was the best decision for him. I mean, you look at Justin, it’s like the biggest thing with Justin is you trust Justin. You trust that he’s prepared. You trust that he’s going to compete. You know he’s ultra-talented. He went to double A [midway through last season], got there, played well. Actually, probably performed better in double A last year than he performed in high-A. Pretty close. But if you look at some of the underlying stuff, he was probably a little bit better in double A. It just felt like Justin was at a point where we can challenge him.
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What I do know about Justin is, you put him in double A for a month and put him up in triple A, if it doesn’t go exactly how he wants it to go and how everybody expects it to go early, I know that Justin’s going to do everything he possibly can. He’s going to learn from it. He’s going to grow from it. He’s going to continue to get better. If you have a player that, when you present them with challenges and they hit challenges and you know it’s going to make them better, then it’s an easy move to put them up in triple A.
Because if you look at it, it’s like, if he does hit some challenges, it’s going to ultimately over the long run make him better. And if he continues to perform at a higher rate, it gives us more information. So it was really, honestly, like a pretty easy decision just because I know how he’s going to react if it doesn’t go how he wants and it’s going to ultimately make him better. So, to me, it’s a win-win situation for him starting in triple A.
Q: There’s been so much chatter about Crawford’s ground ball rate — ‘Will he hit more balls in the air?’ But he also has really good contact skills, and he has exceptional speed. Where do you fall in that conversation with regard to his swing and the focus on whether he’s hitting line drives?
A: With how fast he is, him hitting more ground balls than the next guy is not the worst thing. I think, in general though, him hitting line drives and hitting the ball in the air more, it’s something, year over year, he’s improved. I foresee him improving again this year. I think a lot of times in today’s game, we want finished products. … It’s one of those things where I think if we try to rush it, we hurt his development. I think it’s naturally started to happen. His swing has improved. His line drive rate is improving, and I don’t think we’re at a point where it’s time to sell out to try to do that more. He’s had a ton of success.
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I think the idea is, can we just continue to improve it incrementally? And over time, I think it will take care of itself. Again, I just don’t want to be an organization that’s trying to create a finished product at 21 years old. Sometimes these guys take time, and we have to be patient and let the player work at his own speed. And he has worked at his own speed in the sense that he’s hit over .300 everywhere he’s been at this point. And he’s pushed us in that regard. So I think over time that the line drives and stuff will become a little bit more consistent like they have from year to year in the last couple of years.
Q: Sticking to the outfield at Lehigh Valley, Gabriel Rincones Jr. seems to be off to a nice start. I’m curious how you’ve seen him evolve as a hitter since you came into the organization after the 2022 season.
A: He’s a very smart player. He’s got instincts. He has aptitude. He wants to be the best he can in every aspect of his game: hitting, baserunning, outfield. Doesn’t matter what it is, he wants to be the best. He’s going to learn and ask a ton of questions. So I think ultimately he’s done a very good job of — he swings at the right pitches and he hits the ball hard. And I think he’s continued to do that here in triple A.
I think it’s a matter for him of just, get on the field [healthy], play, put up the numbers, get to the point where he hits 20 home runs because he plays. And he puts himself in a position to be knocked on to the big-league board.
Q: What’s the biggest thing that stands out to you with Aidan Miller? What’s the separator for a player like him who’s probably a top-20, top-25 prospect in the entire sport?
A: First and foremost, the thing that stands out, he’s talented, right? He can play shortstop. He has power. He swings at the right pitches. He hits it hard. He does all those things. And, really, the makeup’s outstanding. I mean, I know the last two guys we talked about have great makeup as well, but Aidan’s the guy that’s very, very talented, has moved quickly through the system, and he’s always looking to learn and get better.
At the end of the day, he separates himself from a talent and a makeup standpoint. And I think as he continues to go, he’s going to really continue to separate himself and be an impactful big leaguer in the future.
Q: On the player development side of things, how eager is everyone to watch Andrew Painter now climb the ladder and get to a spot where he’s ready to get to the big leagues finally after all this time?
A: Yeah, I think we’re excited. I’m genuinely excited for the kid. It’s been a tough, long road for him to come back, and he’s an awesome human being. He’s obviously ultra-talented. Everybody knows it’s not very hard to see how talented he is. So I think him getting back on a game mound — I know he did it in the [Arizona Fall League] — but to get back out there last week I think was really big for him. As he continues to progress and when he moves up and gets to the point where he’s in triple A for his pitching and competing. I’m excited to see him compete and go make the big leagues.
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Everybody has expectations on him. He has expectations on himself. But at the end of the day, if he gets between the lines and competes and throws the ball to the plate, which I know he will, we’ll see where it takes us, where it takes him. … But I think for him, staying grounded and understanding that you do have a lot of external expectations, but go out there, be yourself, and compete, and everything else will take care of itself.
Q: Which player or players are we not talking about who we should be right now?
A: The one guy that comes to mind right now is Casey Steward in high A [Jersey Shore]. He’s a big right-handed pitcher [6-foot-5, 260 pounds]. … He has done a tremendous job pitching this year. Up to 100 [mph]. Has gotten to throwing every pitch harder this year. He’s done a tremendous job in the offseason, just getting bigger, even bigger and stronger. He’s always been big and strong, but he’s a guy that I’m excited to see continue to throw. He’s really put himself on the map for us internally.
I think we look up at the end of the year, he’s one of those guys that has a ton of performance. He’s big, and he’s throwing very hard. I think at the end of the year, he’ll have a little bit more prospect status within the industry. He’d be my one big sleeper on the pitching side.