Philadelphia Phillies: Three reactions to Jean Segura trade

Segura is a huge upgrade over Crawford

The Phillies drafted Crawford with their first round pick in 2013 and had high expectations for the shortstop from California. It took Crawford a while to get to the majors, and once he did, he underwhelmed, to say the least.

Over 72 games at the major league level, Crawford hit .214 with a .333 on-base percentage. So just like Santana, Crawford was one of those guys with a disciplined approach at the plate but struggled to produce much with his bat.

Moving Crawford for Segura is a no-brainer. Segura offers a huge upgrade the shortstop for the Phillies, both offensively and defensively. Segura hit .304 last season, compared to .214 from Crawford. Defensively, Segura posted a .969 fielding percentage, compared to .932 from Crawford.

In Segura, the Phillies are getting a shortstop in his prime in the midst of the best stretch of his career, who is also under contract until 2022. Segura does not strike out a lot, punching out only 69 times in 144 games last season. He has also shown the ability to be a great gap to gap hitter and inches close to 200 hits on a yearly basis.

Crawford is obviously still young, and there is a reason why he was a first-round pick five years ago. There is definitely still a chance he blossoms into a nice player, but as the Phillies window of opportunity begins to open up, getting a player like Segura who can contribute right away is big for the Phillies’ championship aspirations.