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Phillies prospect watch: Nick Williams brings power, J.P. Crawford struggles to adjust in Triple-A – Metro US
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Phillies prospect watch: Nick Williams brings power, J.P. Crawford struggles to adjust in Triple-A

Phillies prospect watch: Nick Williams brings power, J.P. Crawford struggles
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The Phillies have shown they have a ton of holes at the major league level, and all signs point to them faltering and fizzling out of the playoff race (they are already under the .500 mark).

Whether or not they contend again, there is a pretty good chance many of the Phillies’ prospects listed below will trek to South Philly when the rosters expand to 40 in September.

A handful of them will also, at some point this summer, make the leap to the Phillies’ big league roster. Here’s a look at who is hot, who is struggling and who is hurt amongPhiladelphia’s top prospects:

Who’s hot:

Nick Williams: The Phillies really need their22-year-old slugging outfielder to develop the power they scoutedwhen he was acquired in the Cole Hamels trade last season. And over his last seven games in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he’s done just that, blasting three homers and seven RBI over that span. He has seven total homers and 28 RBI in 49 games this season.

Roman Quinn: A speedy 23-year-old outfielder, Quinn is a prototypical leadoff man. He has 29 stolen bases this season for Double-A Reading and boastsa .289 batting average — strengthened by a red-hot stretch over the last two weeks that saw him hit .370.

Dylan Cozens: The 2012 Phillies’ second-round pick is finally becoming a known quantity, thanks to extremely consistent play for Reading this season in right field. The 22-year-old is hitting .278, and has been just around that mark for most of the season.

Ben Lively: The 24-year-old was recently called up from Double to Triple-A, and has had the best season of any Phillies’ organization pitcher. Overall, he’s 8-0 and posted a 1.87 ERA over nine starts in Reading. He’s taken the ball twice in Lehigh Valley and has a 3.46 ERA since making the jump.

Alec Asher: Since being promoted from Double to Triple-A, the 24-year-old hurler (who appeared in the big leagues last summer) has been lights-out, winning all three of his decisions since the call-up. He has a microscopic ERA of 1.53 and WHIP of 0.61 in four starts in Lehigh Valley.

Jake Thompson: Thompson is a highly-touted pitcher whom many project to make the Phils’ big league roster sometime soon. And his performance in Triple-A has been a bit inconsistent but trending in the right direction. In his last seven starts his ERA has dropped from 4.85 on May 3 to 3.82 a month later.

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Who’s not:

Zach Eflin:After tossing seven scoreless innings for the Iron Pigs in a May 24 victory over Pawtucket, the Phillies red-hot starter had a 2.05 ERA and a 5-0 record. In his two starts since, he’s allowed 10 total runs over 10.1 innings and has seen his ERA jump to 3.14. Still, he has a very impressive WHIP of 0.89 in 10 starts this season.

Jorge Alfaro: The Fightin’ Phils’ catcher started his season with a stretch hitting.500 before a brief injury sidelined him. Now back healthy behind the plate in Reading, Alfaro has hit .250 in his last 10 games as his average has come back to earth, now standing at .319. He has 27 RBI in 31 games.

J.P. Crawford: After hitting .265 in Double-A Reading, the Phillies top prospect has been cold as can be in Triple-A as he adjusts to the highest level of competition he’s ever faced. Over the last 10 games for the Iron Pigs, the 21-year-old shortstop has hit .171 and was held hitless in seven of those games.

Who’s hurt:

Mark Appel: The former No. 1 pick was solid through his first-sight starts in Triple-A, but found himself sidelined with a shoulder strain a few weeks ago. He remains on the disabled list with a 4.46 ERA and 3-3 record.

Cornelius Randolph: The Phillies’ first round pick last season was picking things up after a slow start, lifting his batting average by over .100 points (including his first home run of the year on April 19) before he was placed on the disabled list on April 22. He has a sore shoulder.