Former Phillies shortstop and current bench coach Larry Bowa knows a thing or two about middle infielders, so you know he's been keeping an eye on top prospect shortstop J.P. Crawford.
Bowa's been so impressed with Crawford's development to this point that he feels Phillies fans could see the 21-year-old man the shortstop position at Citizens Bank Park sooner rather than later.
Bowa expanded on those thoughts when he called into Comcast SportsNet's Breakfast on Broad Tuesday morning, 22 days before pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Clearwater, Florida for spring training.
"The way he's progressed through the system, I would say he's very close," Bowa said of Crawford. "It would not shock me to see him here in the middle of the year if he continues to progress.
"We're in a situation right now where we can let these guys do their own thing at each level and, so far, he's made adjustments everywhere he's gone. He started off slow in A ball. At the end, he picked it up. At Double A, he did the same thing ... it's a game of adjustments and this kid's got a great head on his shoulders. It's just a matter of time."
Crawford has quickly risen through the Phillies' minor-league system since the team picked him 16th overall in the 2013 amateur draft.
Last season, the Lakewood, California native opened the year at Single A Clearwater, but was promoted to Double A Reading after batting .392 with a home run and eight RBIs in 21 games.
At Reading, he batted .265 with five home runs, seven triples, 21 doubles and 34 RBIs.
Crawford played five games in last year's Arizona Fall League, but was pulled after suffering a thumb injury.
It's still not known if Crawford will start 2016 with Reading or Triple A Lehigh Valley. That decision will play itself out in camp.
But, if you believe Bowa, the minors will soon be a thing of the past for Crawford.
Check out the video above for more of what Bowa had to say Tuesday morning, including why he's excited for spring training to finally get underway, Freddy Galvis, Maikel Franco and how the Ryan Howard situation could play out.