Crawford has hit 5 home runs in his last 9 games, almost on cue with the reports that he struggles to drive the ball. As someone who believes he is going to be a very good major leaguer I can't help but wonder if its one of two things...he was hurt, not to the extend that he couldn't play but enough to take away some of his strength [possibly a small hand injury?] or simply that he was a bit lackadaisical before all this criticism woke him up.
While certainly not condoning this behavior, its happened before...a player who is so naturally talented that he simply gets by on his talent, until he doesn't anymore. One of two things happens, he either decides to work hard or he gets frustrated and flames out. Crawford has been told he was going to be a big leaguer since he was probably in 8th grade, and his pedigree certainly supported that idea, not to mention his talent.
And the Phils have been penciling him in as their future SS ever since they drafted him. I thought it was well worth noting that in Salisbury's interview with John Manuel yesterday he mentioned for the first time that the Phils have known for awhile that the hype was exaggerated and that he wasn't really a Top 10 talent. I don't believe that at all, I believe that was meant for Crawford's eyes to tell him that nothing is guaranteed without hard work.
I also think it has benefited Crawford to be playing with a Pete Rose type grinder like Scott Kingery. IMHO, Kingery doesn't possess nearly the natural skills of Crawford but has made himself into a future major leaguer. This is a good lesson for Crawford to learn.
And the injury factor is nothing to sneeze at either, though we may never know for sure. If he was a bit banged up his recent power explosion would certainly indicate he is healthy now.
Crawford has actually been playing better for quite some time now but was in such a hole through mid May that it was nearly impossible to dig out. As someone who favors trading Galvis now when his value is likely to be the highest, it is a welcome site to once again feel as if the Phils SS of the future is back on track.