ALLENTOWN J.P. Crawford was starting to figure out his life as an 18-year-old graduate of Lakewood (Calif.) High School.

His first tattoo came on his right bicep in memory of a close friend.

He took ownership of his first dog, a white Husky.

And, he was drafted by the Phillies in the first round of Major League Baseballs amateur draft.

Crawford was transitioning into adulthood like he had dreamed. He spent his first summer as a professional baseball player leading the Gulf Coast League in hitting with a .345 average, then spent the next three years universally rated as the Phillies No. 1 prospect.

Then came another first: a slump.

It started during the final month of his first season (2016) in Triple-A.

Things got worse in the first two-plus months of the 2017 season with the IronPigs, when the 180-pounder struggled to hit above his playing weight.

Several dogs and several tattoos later, Crawford took the next step in his maturation process. He rediscovered his hitting stroke one day in the batting cage in late June, and has hit like a future MLB shortstop since July 1.

Crawford has a .291 batting average with a .938 OPS and 11 home runs which equals his career high for a season in that stretch. He also is learning to play second and third base in the last week or so while maintaining his impressive streak at the plate.

It all comes on the heels of his most difficult stretch as a baseball player.

Oh, yeah, he said, By far the [biggest slump]. Ive learned a lot about myself, that I can overcome.

Im glad to be able to do what Ive done.

What Crawford has done lately is restore the faith Phillies fans have had in him since the club took him with the 16th overall pick on draft day 2013.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder rarely struggled as he climbed his way through Class-A ball, pushing his way to Double-A Reading after batting .392 in his first 21 games of 2015 at high-A Clearwater.

After playing 122 games in 2015-16 in Reading, he was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on May 20.

He hit .260 in his first 64 games with the IronPigs through Aug. 1.

Then came the wall.

The California native hit only .200 with three extra-base hits in his final 21 games of 2016, then opened this season with a .189 average and seven extra-base hits in 55 games through June 9.

Everybody hates sucking, he said, but you know its going to come sooner or later. You just keep putting in the work, putting the effort.

Youre going to get knocked down. You have to keep getting back up. That shows the man you are.

Through all the hot streaks and promotions, Crawford continued to collect dogs and tattoos.

He had as many as four Huskies before his mother took one. The two males, who came from the litter of his girlfriends Husky, now weigh 70 pounds each at age 3.

They are all calm together and so much fun, Crawford said. They are playful and cuddly all at the same time.

His right arm is now fully covered with ink. He and one of his sisters got matching tattoos. He had his two sisters names inked on, then some tribal stuff and a wolf that stretches to his chest.

Hes not sure whether hell continue with the tattoos, but hes certain he's eager to take the next step.

Crawfords performance the last two months has given his desire credence.

He was trying to do too much at the plate at times," said IronPigs manager Dusty Wathan, who also saw him for parts of 2015-16 when he was Readings boss.

He was a little too passive when he was ahead in the count. Now he is confident in his swing and being aggressive when he gets ahead. Hes not just hitting the ball, but driving it. Trying to do some damage.

There was some desperation before breaking out.

Crawford looked at video prior to a road trip to Buffalo, something he does little of. He adjusted his hand position after that, but saw little results.

He also had a nagging groin injury, which gave him the perfect opportunity to rest physically and mentally.

That time off helped big time, he said. It cleared my head, took the stress off my shoulders. I took a nice, deep breath.

Once I got back from that, I worked on my swing and something just clicked in the cage. It started to work and here I am now.

Shortly after Crawford returned to Lehigh Valleys lineup, Baseball America's midseason prospect rankings came out. He plummeted from 19th to 92nd and deemed no longer an impact player.

That fueled Crawford further.

Seeing all the social media stuff, its sad to say but I had a reality check, he said. I dont really care about the rankings. All I care about is getting out of here.

But seeing them say that Im not an impact player, it kind of lit a fire. I was like, All right, lets go.

Crawford has taken his hot bat to places it has not gone since turning pro, displaying a knack for extra-base hits a career-best 36 through Friday. He has sacrificed a few strikeouts for the opportunity to consistently drive the ball while maintaining is strong eye at the plate.

It feels comfortable knowing what I can do is finally showing on the field, he said.

Come September, Crawfords girlfriend and three dogs now back in California will be watching the 22-year-old make his major league debut.

thousenick@mcall.com

Twitter @TomHousenick

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