After 14 big league seasons—all but one of which he spent as a fan favorite and slick-fielding shortstop with his native San Francisco Giants—Brandon Crawford is retiring.
The veteran infielder, a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, made his announcement on Instagram on Wednesday.
“I am continually reminded of the things in my life for which I am most grateful at this time of year. “One of them is baseball,” Crawford wrote. “I have played baseball for as long as I can remember, and I will always be grateful for the chances and experiences it has provided me. Time is valuable. It’s time for me to spend it with the people I’m most thankful for, even if I’m immensely thankful for the years I’ve spent playing the game I love. I am grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout the years. The journey has been incredible.
Crawford, a UCLA graduate selected in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB Draft, made his Major League debut on May 27, 2011, and went on to win the 2012 and 2014 World Series, the last two in the team’s every-other-year run from 2010 to 2014.
“Congrats to Craw on his outstanding career,” texted former Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who is currently with Texas. “Just a wonderful story of a kid becoming one of the best shortstops in the history of the San Francisco Giants, the team he grew up with and loved.”
The Giants announced that on April 26 at Oracle Park, they will pay tribute to Crawford’s career. He was a profession.Although he was a 249 hitter with 147 home runs and 748 RBIs, many will remember him for his ability to make the crucial defensive play.
In a statement, new Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey said, “It was an honor to get to know Brandon as a friend and as a teammate.” It was an honor to play with him for 14 years, from the day we were both drafted in 2008 until our last season together in 2021. Brandon left his mark in a manner that few athletes ever do, whether it was through key moments like the grand slam he hit in the 2014 wild-card game in Pittsburgh, the franchise-record, seven-hit game he recorded in Miami, or the spectacular defensive plays and acrobatic throws he repeatedly made.
When his contract in San Francisco expired following the 2023 season, there were rumors that Crawford could retire. However, he chose to stay in San Francisco for another season and signed a $2 million, one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. After hitting.169 with a home run and four RBIs in 80 plate appearances, he was cut loose in August.
Crawford’s top priority moving forward will be his family, since he and his wife, Jalynne, have five small children.
Crawford’s sister, Amy, is married to New York Yankees star Gerrit Cole, who praised all of Crawford’s accomplishments both on and off the field.
Cole texted, “Brandon is the greatest Giants shortstop of all time, an amazing teammate, and a fierce competitor.” “In addition to being a fantastic role model for aspiring shortstops and young athletes with championship aspirations, he has been an incredible brother to me. My major league debut, our first All-Star Game, and delivering the lineup cards in Yankee Stadium were some of the memorable times I had the good fortune to enjoy with him. He has left a lasting impression on the game we love and knows that everyone who has come into contact with him, both on and off his squad, respects and admires him. I adore you, buddy.
When he was younger, Crawford would support his favorite Giants by leaning on the railing at Candlestick Park with his hat on backward. He would go on to play for them.
Crawford thanked himself for playing in one location for so long when he signed a two-year, $32 million contract in August 2021, completing a six-year, $75 million deal he had signed in November 2015.
Crawford posted on Wednesday, saying, “Being drafted by my hometown team and spending most of my career with them far surpassed any dream I had as a kid.” “I certainly staged a World Series victory in my backyard, but two? That exceeded my expectations.
With 1,617 games played at shortstop over his career, he leads the Giants in that category.
Larry Baer, president and CEO of the Giants, stated, “Watching Brandon play was an absolute privilege for not only me but for Giants’ fans everywhere.”
“He was a two-time World Series champion, a Lou Gehrig and Willie Mac Award winner, a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner, and an All-Star who always conducted himself with dignity, respect, and class. As this chapter of Brandon’s career comes to an end, fans, teammates, and future generations of players who look up to him by the example he set will celebrate his legacy in the game. The Giants have been extremely fortunate to have him as part of the team for 16 years, actually for his entire 37 years, starting as a young fan who will never forget that iconic photo of him leaning on the railing at Candlestick Park when there was a chance that his Giants might leave San Francisco.”
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