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J. P. Crawford

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J. P. Crawford
Crawford with the Seattle Mariners in 2021
Seattle Mariners – No. 3
Shortstop
Born: (1995-01-11) January 11, 1995 (age 29)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 5, 2017, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.245
Home runs55
Runs batted in286
Teams
Career highlights and awards

John Paul Crawford (born January 11, 1995) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Growing up in Lakewood, California, Crawford attended Lakewood High School, where he achieved recognition for his athletic performance. Crawford was considered one of the nation's best teenage baseball players. The 16th pick overall in the 2013 MLB draft, Crawford began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies as an exceptional defensive infielder and was considered the organization's top prospect for much of his rise through their minor league system. He was promoted to the major league ball club, in 2017, playing at shortstop and third base. Prior to the 2019 season, Crawford was traded to the Mariners.

Early life

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Crawford was born on January 11, 1995, in Long Beach, California,[1] to Beth and Larry Crawford; he has two sisters.[2] His father, a former professional football defensive back, was a four-time All-Star in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and won the Grey Cup with the BC Lions in the 1985. Crawford's mother received a scholarship offer to play college volleyball.[3] His older sister Eliza, a softball player for California State University, Fullerton, brought him to batting practices and encouraged him. Crawford was highly involved in baseball programs for youth in nearby Compton, including the Urban Youth Academy and Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities.[2][4]

In 2009, Crawford began attending Lakewood High School. The school's baseball coach Spud O'Neil recalled Crawford "was 6'2" and skinny as a rail" but recognized his flair defensively, and immediately accommodated the freshman by opening a spot at shortstop.[2] Crawford posted several team records. By the end of his senior year, he led in career hits (179), runs scored (162), stolen bases (73) and walks (72).[5] His senior season, his mother was diagnosed with throat cancer, and he would regularly drive her to chemotherapy treatment.[3]

Crawford received a scholarship offer to play college baseball with the University of Southern California Trojans. Crawford chose to play professional baseball instead.[6]

Professional baseball

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Minor leagues

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In 2011, Crawford's junior year, he was evaluated by Marti Wolever, the assistant general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. Crawford's discovery by the Phillies was inadvertent; Wolever said he first watched Crawford while scouting another Lakewood prospect, pitcher Shane Watson, the Phillies' first-round draft pick in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. Wolever stated in 2012, "I thought he [Crawford] was one of the best players we saw last year," and anticipated that Crawford would be ready for the major leagues in three or four years.[7] The Phillies selected Crawford in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft, 16th overall, and he signed with the Phillies on June 18, receiving a $2.3 million signing bonus.[6]

The Phillies had high expectations for Crawford, including becoming the eventual long-term replacement for former MVP shortstop Jimmy Rollins.[8][9] Crawford made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Phillies of the Gulf Coast League (GCL) in Clearwater, Florida within weeks of signing. He adjusted well at the plate: in 39 games with the GCL Phillies, Crawford led the league in both batting average (.345) and on-base percentage (.443), earning a promotion to the Single-A Lakewood BlueClaws in August.[10] Returning to Lakewood in 2014, Crawford focused on his plate discipline. He finished the minor league season, which included a promotion to the Clearwater Threshers in June, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio close to 1-to-1.[11] Crawford became the Phillies' number one prospect, according to Baseball America, for the rest of his ascent through the team's farm system.[10]

Crawford with the Reading Fightin Phils in 2016

Crawford's 2015 season was cut short by his first significant injury, a torn ligament in his left thumb.[12] Playing 104 games, between Clearwater and the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils, he finished his season hitting .288 with six home runs, 42 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases.[10][13] Crawford worked to develop power in 2016, but by early 2017, with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Crawford struggled to hit, batting just .175 with one home run at the end of May. Crawford returned to form in his next 60 games, posting a .272 batting average and career-high 12 home runs.[14] With Freddy Galvis set as the Phillies' shortstop, Crawford began playing third base on August 20, in anticipation of a time share with Maikel Franco, who struggled in his fourth season in the majors.[15]

Philadelphia Phillies

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2017

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Crawford with the Phillies at Nationals Park in 2017

Opening the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Crawford received attention on July 26 with an inside-the-park grand slam at Coca-Cola Park, finishing with a decoy slide under the tag of Gwinnett's David Freitas.[16] In the latter half of 2017, the Phillies had re-equipped the team with young players including Rhys Hoskins and Jorge Alfaro.[17] Phillies manager Pete Mackanin expressed interest in Crawford, hoping the prospect could play substantially before the end of the regular season. Crawford was promoted to the major leagues on September 5, to play against the New York Mets. Playing at third base in his MLB debut, Crawford went 1-for-5, hitting into a fielder's choice in his first at-bat, before singling to center field in the fifth inning. The Phillies won, 9–1.[18] Mackanin rotated Crawford between starts at shortstop, third base, and second base during the final month of the season. He ended the year batting .214 with six RBIs in 23 games.[19]

2018

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Galvis was traded to the San Diego Padres early in the 2017 offseason, securing Crawford's position as the Phillies' Opening Day shortstop for 2018. The team, under new manager Gabe Kapler, wanted its players–including Crawford–to "control the strike zone" and post high on-base percentages (OBP).[20] In his first 20 games, Crawford struggled on offense and defense, batting .190 while committing five errors. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list (DL) on April 29 with a strained right forearm.[21] He returned to the roster on June 6, sharing starts at third base with Franco.[22][23] Facing the St. Louis Cardinals on June 19, Crawford was hit by a pitch, breaking his left hand and returning him to the DL.[24] After rehabbing, he struggled to find consistent playing time for the remainder of the season, limiting him to just six starts; he finished the season batting .214 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.[25]

Seattle Mariners

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2019

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On December 3, 2018, the Phillies traded Crawford and Carlos Santana to the Seattle Mariners for Jean Segura, James Pazos, and Juan Nicasio.[26] On March 13, 2019, the Mariners optioned Crawford to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.[27] On May 10, the Mariners called up Crawford following an impressive stretch in Tacoma, hitting .319/.420/.457 with 7 doubles, 3 home runs and 15 RBI and reaching base in all 31 games. He made his Mariners debut the same day against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.[28] Crawford's first home run as a Mariner came off Michael Pineda of the Minnesota Twins on May 16.[29] Crawford spent the rest of the season as the starting shortstop for Seattle, hitting .226 with 7 home runs and 46 RBI in 93 games.

2020

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In 2020, Crawford batted .255/.336/.338 with two home runs, 24 RBIs, and 33 runs scored in 53 games during the pandemic-shortened season. He won the Gold Glove Award as the best defensive shortstop in the American League in 2020.[30]

Crawford batting with the Mariners in 2021

2021

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On Juneteenth, Crawford hit his first career grand slam off of Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Josh Fleming.[31][32] He finished the 2021 season batting .273/.338/.376 with 9 home runs and 54 RBIs in a career-best 160 games. He led all shortstops with 222 putouts.[33]

2022

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On March 22, 2022, Crawford signed a $4.85 million contract with the Mariners, avoiding salary arbitration.[34] Then, on April 8, Crawford signed a five-year, $51 million contract extension with Seattle, which lasts through 2026.[35] On June 26, Crawford was punished for his involvement in a bench-clearing brawl that started after teammate Jesse Winker was hit in the thigh by a pitch from Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Wantz. Winker later got into an altercation with Ryan Tepera, in which Crawford was seen punching Tepera. Crawford, along with several players from both teams, was ejected from the game, Crawford's first career ejection.[36]

Crawford finished 2022 with a .243 and 6 home runs, both worse than 2021, but showed improved patience, walking in 11 percent of plate appearances.[33]

2023

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Crawford's dip in offensive production in 2022 saw him begin the 2023 season batting towards the bottom of Seattle's lineup. However, by the end of April, he had shown himself to be a dependable option at leadoff and flourished in this role during the rest of the season.[37] Crawford had worked on his hitting during the offseason at Driveline Baseball.[38] On September 28, Crawford hit a 2-out, 2-run RBI single off Jonathan Hernández in the bottom of the ninth to walk off the Texas Rangers after entering the inning down a run, which both kept his team's postseason chances alive and prevented the Rangers from clinching a playoff berth in Seattle.[39] In the following game on September 29, Crawford hit his third career grand slam off Brock Burke, in an 8–0 victory over Texas.[40] In 2023, he batted .266/.380/.438 with a career-high 19 home runs, more than doubling his previous high of 9 from 2021. Combined with his AL-leading 94 walks, he earned down-ballot recognition in MVP voting.[37][41]

2024

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Crawford faced injuries and offensive regression in 2024. Three weeks into the season, he was placed on the injured list with an oblique strain,[30] keeping him out of action for a month. He hit poorly in his first 23 games, with an on-base plus slugging of .598, down from .818 in 2023.[42] He was hit by a pitch from former teammate Tyler Anderson on July 22, breaking his pinkie.[43] He returned to the injured list until August 28.[44] In the final month of the season, he was moved from the leadoff spot back to the bottom of the order. He finished the season batting .202 with 9 home runs and 52 walks in 105 games.[42]

Personal life

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Crawford and his wife Kathleen were married on December 11, 2021.[45]

Crawford's first cousin, once removed, is former MLB All-Star Carl Crawford.[46] His second cousin, Justin Crawford, Carl's son, was also a Phillies first-round draft pick, taken 17th overall in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[47]

Both of Crawford's sisters were scholarship athletes at Cal State Fullerton.[3] His older sister Eliza played softball,[48] and his younger sister Julia played volleyball.[49]

Growing up, Crawford was a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and Derek Jeter was his favorite player.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Garro, Adrian (June 26, 2016). "Talking 'Game of Thrones,' determination and more with Phillies' No. 1 prospect J.P. Crawford". MLB.com.
  2. ^ a b c Lawrence, Ryan (August 18, 2015). "J.P. Crawford: The Future". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Kramer, Daniel (May 8, 2022). "'My rock': Crawford inspired by mom, victory vs. cancer". MLB.com. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Franklin, Paul (June 22, 2015). "Phillies top prospect J.P. Crawford has 'superstar' written all over him". Philly Voice.
  5. ^ Werestine, Dave (June 20, 2013). "BASEBALL: Lakewood shortstop J.P. Crawford's dream includes $2.3 million bonus". Press-Telegram. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Zolecki, Todd (June 7, 2013). "Phillies take high schooler Crawford with 16th pick". MLB.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  7. ^ Finger, John (June 7, 2013). "Phillies draft SS J.P. Crawford 16th overall". Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  8. ^ Lacques, Gabe (March 8, 2016). "Phillies future in the hands of top prospect J.P. Crawford". USA Today. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  9. ^ Geib, Matt (December 10, 2014). "Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c "J.P. Crawford". Baseball America. September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  11. ^ "J.P. Crawford Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  12. ^ Salisbury, Jim (October 29, 2015). "J.P. Crawford suffers thumb injury, will miss rest of AFL". Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  13. ^ Norris, Josh (October 29, 2015). "J.P. Crawford Tears UCL In Left Thumb In Arizona Fall League". Baseball America. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  14. ^ Brookover, Bob (August 10, 2017). "Lehigh Valley's J.P. Crawford swinging blistering bat". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  15. ^ Gelb, Matt (August 20, 2017). "J.P. Crawford could come to Phillies as a third baseman". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  16. ^ Minor League Baseball (July 26, 2017). IronPigs' Crawford rips an inside-the-park grand slam. Retrieved November 6, 2024 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ Hamilton, Derik (October 1, 2017). "Turning Point? Phillies Rebuild Has Gained Steam". Philly Voice. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  18. ^ Zolecki, Todd (September 6, 2017). "Crawford singles in MLB debut vs. Mets". MLB.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  19. ^ "How This Season's Youngsters Will Fit Into the Future". RealSport 101. October 1, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  20. ^ Breen, Matt (February 15, 2018). "J.P. Crawford arrives to Phillies spring training with a secure job and some added power". Philly.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  21. ^ "Phils put J.P. Crawford on DL with forearm strain". ESPN. April 29, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  22. ^ Lauber, Scott (June 6, 2018). "Phillies activate J.P. Crawford from disabled list, likely pushing Scott Kingery back to utility role". Philly.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  23. ^ Breen, Matt (June 11, 2018). "For Phillies, batting J.P. Crawford ninth again would be a good sign". Philly.com. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  24. ^ Salisbury, Jim (June 20, 2018). "J.P. Crawford suffers broken left hand, out 4–6 weeks". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  25. ^ Varela, Ashley (December 1, 2018). "Report: Mariners interested in J.P. Crawford". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  26. ^ Zolecki, Todd (December 3, 2018). "Phillies finalize trade with M's for Segura, others". MLB.com. MLB. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  27. ^ "Mariners Option J.P. Crawford". MLB Trade Rumors. March 13, 2019.
  28. ^ Divish, Ryan (May 10, 2019). "Mariners call up top prospects J.P. Crawford and Shed Long ahead of series vs. Red Sox". seattletimes.com. Seattle Times.
  29. ^ "Mariners' J.P. Crawford: Hits first home run as Mariner". CBS Sports. May 17, 2019.
  30. ^ a b "J.P. Crawford Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  31. ^ "J.P. Crawford sends a line drive to the stands". MLB.com. June 19, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  32. ^ "Mariners' J.P. Crawford: Launches grand slam Saturday". CBS Sports. June 20, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  33. ^ a b "J.P. Crawford Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  34. ^ "Arbitration Tracker For 2022". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  35. ^ "Mariners sign SS Crawford to five-year contract". ESPN.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  36. ^ Kramer, Daniel; Wexler, Sarah (June 26, 2022). "Winker HBP leads to intense benches-clearing scene". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  37. ^ a b "JP Crawford was a machine while leading the American League in walks in 2023". Sodo Mojo. October 11, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  38. ^ Gustafson, Brandon (March 16, 2024). "J.P. Crawford: Trade to Mariners 'saved my career, saved my life'". Seattle Sports. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  39. ^ Kramer, Daniel (September 28, 2023). "Mariners' magic is back with 9th-inning walk-off to stay alive". Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  40. ^ Booth, Tim. "J.P. Crawford's grand slam leads Mariners to 8-0 win over Rangers". AP News. The Associated Press. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  41. ^ Farkas, Brady (November 16, 2023). "Three Seattle Mariners Receive Votes in American League MVP Race". Fastball. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  42. ^ a b "J.P. Crawford 2024 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  43. ^ "J.P. Crawford sustains fracture in pinkie on HBP | 07/22/2024". MLB.com. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  44. ^ Lantz, Shane (August 28, 2024). "Mariners reinstate J.P. Crawford from injured list, option Dominic Canzone". KOMO. Associated Press. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  45. ^ "JP Crawford on Instagram: "12.11.21 best day of my life🖤"".
  46. ^ Saxon, Mark (June 7, 2013). "Carl Crawford has family connection in the draft". ESPN.
  47. ^ Lauber, Scott (July 17, 2022). "Phillies draft high school outfielder Justin Crawford, son of ex-major leaguer Carl Crawford". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  48. ^ "Eliza Crawford - 2015 - Softball". California State University, Fullerton. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  49. ^ "Julia Crawford - 2022 - Women's Volleyball". California State University, Fullerton. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
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