Brandon Crawford DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Shortstop Brandon Crawford officially announced his retirement from professional baseball on Wednesday on his Instagram account. It ends a successful 14-year major-league career that saw Crawford win two World Series with the San Francisco Giants while also being named to three All-Star teams. The 37-year-old spent the first 13 years of his career with the Giants before ending it in 2024 with the St. Louis Cardinals after he hit .169 in 28 games. Crawford was originally a fourth-round pick by the Gigantes in 2008 out of UCLA. Perhaps his best season came in 2021, when he had a career-highs in batting average (.298), home runs (24), RBI (90) and stolen bases (11). He won his first World Series ring in 2012 in his second year in the league. In addition to being steady with the bat, Crawford won four Gold Gloves in his career and finishes with a .249/.318/.395 career slash line and .713 OPS in 1,682 games.

The St. Louis Cardinals granted veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford his unconditional release on Tuesday to help make room on the roster for infielders Matt Carpenter (back) and Luken Baker. In his first year with St. Louis, Crawford hasn't seen much action behind starter Masyn Winn, playing in only 28 games and hitting .169/.263/.282 with a career-worst .544 OPS, one home runs, five doubles, four RBI and five runs scored. The three-time All-Star will now look to latch on with another organization to close out the 2024 season, but he's probably going to have to settle for a minor-league contract. This very well could be the 37-year-old's final year in the big leagues after a successful 14-year stint in the majors that begin in 2011 with the San Francisco Giants. Crawford had only appeared in four games for the Red Birds after the All-Star break.

The St. Louis Cardinals signed free-agent shortstop Brandon Crawford to an undisclosed deal on Monday, according to league sources. The three-time All-Star with the San Francisco Giants is expected to serve as the backup to 21-year-old rookie shortstop Masyn Winn while the team awaits further clarity on Tommy Edman's recovery from wrist surgery. Crawford spent the previous 13 seasons in the Bay Area, playing a key role in the team's 2012 and 2014 World Series championships. He was an All-Star as recently as 2021, but his performance started to decline in 2022, and he appeared in just 93 games last year due to various injuries and finished with a meager .194/.273/.314 slash line. The 37-year-old is a good defender but can't be counted on for offensive production at this point, and the 2024 season could easily be Crawford's last as a pro.