Carl Crawford, Left Field, Retired


Date of Birth: 8/5/1981
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Nickname: The Perfect Storm

Carl Crawford, retired left fielder, was first drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999. After playing in the minor leagues for three and a half seasons, he was called up to the Rays in 2002 for 63 games.

In 2003, his first full season in the major leagues, Crawford led the American League in stolen bases with 55. That season, he batted .281 with 177 hits and 18 doubles in 151 games. Crawford went on to lead the AL in stolen bases in 2004, 2006, and 2007. In 2005, he led the league in triples with 15. That year, he had a .301 batting average with a career high 194 hits. He led the AL in triples again in 2005, 2006, and 2010.

Crawford had a strong 2009 season, batting .305 with 185 hits, 28 doubles, and a career high of 60 stolen bases. He was named the All Star Game MVP that year.

In 2010, Crawford won a Gold Glove award as a left fielder. He played in 147 games and he made 306 putouts with just 2 errors and he had a .994 fielding percentage. That season, he also won a Silver Slugger award, batting .307 with career highs in home runs with 19 and RBIs with 90. He also had 184 hits, 30 doubles, 13 triples, and 47 stolen bases in 154 games.

Crawford became a free agent after the 2010 season and he signed a seven-year, $142 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. He had a rough first year with the Red Sox, batting just .255 in 2011. He started the following season on the DL and in August, 2012, he had Tommy John surgery. At around the same time, the Red Sox traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2013, Crawford again suffered from injuries and he played in just 116 games, batting .283 with 123 hits and 30 doubles. He played in even fewer games in 2014, finishing the season with 103 hits, 14 doubles, 23 stolen bases, and a .300 batting average in 105 games.

Crawford spent time on the DL in 2015 with a torn oblique muscle. In 69 games with the Dodgers, he batted .265 with 48 hits. Defensively, he played 51 games in left field and he made 38 putouts and no errors. He batted .083 in 12 at-bats in 4 postseason games. He had one hit, one stolen base, and three strikeouts.

The Dodgers designated Crawford for assignment on June 5, 2016. He was released on June 13th. Prior to being released, he played in 30 games with the Dodgers. In 2017, Crawford said he planned to retire when his existing contract ended.

Statistics for Crawford in 15 seasons (2002-2016) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 194 in 2005
  • 4 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 37 in 2007
  • 5 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 19 in 2004
  • 7 seasons with over 40 stolen bases, with a high of 60 in 2009
  • 6 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .315 in 2007

Career batting statistics for Crawford through 2016 include:

  • 1,716 games played
  • 1,931 hits
  • 309 doubles
  • 123 triples
  • 136 home runs
  • 480 stolen bases
  • 766 RBIs
  • 1,067 strikeouts to 377 walks
  • .290 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Crawford as a left fielder through 2016 include:

  • 1,595 games played
  • 3,185 putouts
  • 35 errors
  • .989 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Carl Crawford
ESPN - Carl Crawford