Carl Crawford

Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "The Perfect Storm",[1][2] is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He batted and threw left-handed.

This article is about the American baseball player. For the Guyanese boxer, see Carl Crawford (boxer).
Carl Crawford
Crawford with the Dodgers in 2013
Left fielder
Born: (1981-08-05) August 5, 1981
Houston, Texas
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
July 20, 2002, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Last MLB appearance
June 3, 2016, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Batting average.290
Home runs136
Runs batted in766
Stolen bases480
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
Baseball World Cup
2001 Taipei National team

Crawford was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the second round (52nd overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. When he last played, Crawford had more triples (123) than any other active baseball player.[3]

Early life

Crawford is a native of the Fifth Ward area of Houston. He participated in the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program, and attended Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas,[4][5] and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. As a child, he was on the same little league team as Michael Bourn, who also played in MLB.[6] In high school baseball, he began working with former #1 pick Willie Ansley after his sophomore year. He batted .638 as a senior. In the summer of his junior year in high school coach Ansley advised him to get on a team that played in the same tournaments that Josh Beckett played in so he could be seen by the pro scouts and Crawford joined the Pasadena Stars select baseball team. It was there that he gained his first real exposure to Major League Baseball scouts. So intent on capitalizing on this exposure, he was advised by coach Ansley to skip basketball his senior year to concentrate on baseball so that his knees would be fresh from the beginning of the season. Crawford was offered scholarships to play basketball as a point guard at UCLA.[7] He also had an option to play college football as an option quarterback at Nebraska,[7] USC, Oklahoma, Florida, and Tulsa. He had originally signed a letter of intent to play football for Nebraska but he turned down both offers in favor of a baseball career.[7]

Professional career

Crawford was drafted by the Devil Rays in the second round (52nd overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft.

Minor leagues

In 2002, the Tampa Bay chapter of the BBWAA named Crawford the Devil Rays' Most Outstanding Rookie and he earned International League Rookie of the Year playing for the AAA Durham Bulls.[8]

Major leagues

Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays (2002–10)
2002–06

Crawford made his Major League debut at the young age of 20 on July 20, 2002 against the Toronto Blue Jays. His first hit was in that game, a two RBI single off Steve Parris. He hit his first home run on August 10 off Shawn Sedlacek of the Kansas City Royals. He played in 63 games for the Devil Rays in 2002, batting .259 with 9 stolen bases.

In 2003, he played nearly every day, batting .281 with 54 RBI and led the league with 55 steals. Along with Juan Pierre, Crawford was co-winner of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum James "Cool Papa" Bell Legacy Award for 2003.[9]

In 2004, Crawford stole 59 bases, again leading the league and posting the second-highest total in the majors that season. He batted .296 with 11 home runs and 55 RBIs. Crawford also hit a league-leading 19 triples. He was selected for the All Star Game, played in his hometown of Houston, and was named Devil Rays team MVP in 2004 by the BBWAA.

Crawford batted .301 in 2005, becoming just the third .300 hitter in Devil Rays history, joining Aubrey Huff (.311 in 2003) and Fred McGriff (.310 in 1999). Crawford also posted career highs in hits (194), home runs (15), and RBI (81). He again led the league with 15 triples and placed third in steals (46).

Crawford going back to the dugout in 2006

On July 5, 2006 against the Boston Red Sox, Crawford became only the eighth player in history to get 200 stolen bases before his 25th birthday. Crawford finished the season with career highs in batting average (.305) and home runs (18), joining Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby as the only players in Major League history to increase their batting average and home run totals every year for five straight years.[10] He won a Fielding Bible Award for his defensive excellence in left field during the season.[11]

2007–10

Crawford was named an All-Star for the second time in 2007, becoming the first Devil Ray to receive the honor more than once. He homered in the 6th inning of the All-Star Game, on a 3–2 pitch from Francisco Cordero of the Milwaukee Brewers.

In the second half of the season, Crawford had a sore right wrist which had been bothering him for some time, and did not hit a home run for a period of 42 days. Prior to a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he had an MRI and was listed as doubtful to play because of the wrist. However, he pinch hit as the game went into extra innings and hit a walk-off home run, ending his drought. This kicked off a run of four homers in ten games.[12] In August, ESPN.com named Crawford the Devil Rays' "Face of the Franchise".[13]

On April 11, 2008, Crawford accumulated his 1,000th hit, making him the eighth player to hit 1,000 and steal 250 bases before turning 27.[14] In game four of the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, Crawford tied an ALCS record with five hits in one game, going 5–5 and stealing two bases. After the season, he won his second Fielding Bible Award.[15]

In 2008, he had surgery to fix the tendon of the middle finger of his right hand.[16][17]

Crawford with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009

On May 3, 2009, Carl Crawford tied a modern-era record by stealing six bases in a game against the Boston Red Sox, part of a team-record eight total stolen bases.[18][19][20] On July 14, 2009, Crawford represented Tampa Bay in the 2009 All Star Game, where he was named MVP for a leaping catch at the top of the 8-foot outfield wall to prevent a possible go-ahead home run by Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe.[21]

In 2009, he had the best range factor of all starting major league left fielders (2.34).[22] He won his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award and third overall at left field.[23]

On July 31, 2010, Crawford reached 400 stolen bases. He is the 7th player in history to reach that mark before his 29th birthday.[24]

On August 17, 2010, Crawford hit the 100th triple of his career, joining Ty Cobb as the only major league players to hit 100 triples and steal 400 bases before the age of 30.[25]

The Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted Crawford the Most Valuable Player for the Rays in 2010.[26] Following the conclusion of the season, Crawford was given the Gold Glove Award, as well as the Silver Slugger Award.[27][28]

Boston Red Sox (2011–12)
Crawford during his tenure with the Boston Red Sox in 2011

On December 8, 2010, Crawford signed a 7-year, $142-million contract with the Boston Red Sox.[7][29] Crawford struggled to begin the 2011 season, batting .137 and stealing only 2 bases in his first 12 games.[30] On May 3, he hit his 1,500th career hit, a single against Dan Haren of the Los Angeles Angels in the 3rd inning, becoming the 588th player with 1,500 or more career hits.

For the 2011 season, he batted .255 with an on-base percentage of .289.[31] Through 2011, he had the third-best career fielding percentage (.990) among all active major league left fielders, behind Ryan Braun and Reed Johnson.[32] However, on the last day of the regular season, he failed to trap a ninth-inning line drive off the bat of Robert Andino of the Baltimore Orioles, allowing the O's to walk off and completing Boston's historic nine-game September collapse that denied them a postseason berth.[33]

Crawford injured his left wrist in January 2012.[34] He had wrist surgery to repair cartilage damage,[16] but had discomfort in his elbow and was told he had a sprained ligament.

He began the 2012 season on the 60-day disabled list. He had a rehab assignment with the Gulf Coast League, Double-A Portland, and Triple-A Pawtucket to recover from both injuries.[35] Crawford made his 2012 regular season debut on July 16, 2012, against the Chicago White Sox.[36]

On August 23, 2012, Crawford underwent season-ending reconstructive Tommy John surgery to repair a chronic ulnar collateral tear in his left elbow.[34][37][38] For 2012, he batted .282/.306/.479 in 117 at bats.[39] After being traded to the Dodgers, Crawford voiced his unhappiness with the Red Sox organization and the city of Boston, claiming that the baseball environment was "toxic" and that he was in a "depression stage" with Boston.[40]

Los Angeles Dodgers (2012–2016)
2012

On August 25, 2012, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers (along with Josh Beckett, Adrián González, Nick Punto, and $11 million in cash) for James Loney, Iván DeJesús, Jr., Allen Webster, and two players to be named later (Jerry Sands and Rubby De La Rosa).[41] Despite initial concerns that his injury would keep him out for the first part of the 2013 season as well, Crawford made his Dodger debut as the starting left fielder and lead off hitter on Opening Day 2013.[42]

2013

Crawford got off to a hot start with the Dodgers in 2013, hitting .308 with 4 home runs in the month of April. In 2013 with the Dodgers, missing almost one full month with a hamstring injury, he played in 116 games and hit .283/.329/.407 with 6 homers, 31 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.[39]

In the 2013 NLDS against the Braves, Crawford hit 3 home runs, including 2 in Game Four, which gave the Dodgers a huge boost and allowed them to beat the Braves in four games.[43]

2014

Crawford had a slow start to the 2014 season, hitting just .191 in the month of April. However, he bounced back with a strong month of May, hitting .333. On May 27, Crawford suffered a sprained left ankle in a game against the Cincinnati Reds, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list the next day.[44] He was reactivated on July 10 after a rehab assignment with the Albuquerque Isotopes. Crawford finished the regular season with his highest batting average since leaving Tampa Bay. He hit .300 in 105 games, with 8 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases.

2015

On April 27, 2015, Crawford tore his oblique muscle in a game against the Giants and was placed on the disabled list.[45] He did not rejoin the Dodgers active roster until July 21.[46] He appeared in 69 games for the Dodgers in 2015, hitting .265.

2016

Crawford spent the first two months of 2016 as a backup outfielder/occasional pinch hitter. In 30 games, he hit .185 with a .230 on-base percentage in 81 at bats. On June 5, Crawford was designated for assignment with approximately $35 million remaining on his contract.[47] On June 13, he was released by the Dodgers.[48] In a 2017 interview, Crawford said that he declined offers to try out with other major league teams after the Dodgers released him, and was planning to retire when his final contract expired.[49]

Career statistics

In 1,716 games over 15 seasons, Crawford posted a .290 batting average (1931-for-6655) with 998 runs, 309 doubles, 123 triples, 136 home runs, 766 RBI, 480 stolen bases, 377 bases on balls, .330 on-base percentage and .435 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .989 fielding percentage playing at left and center field. In 39 postseason games, he hit .260 (40-for-154) with 21 runs, 5 doubles, 7 home runs, 16 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 6 walks.

Awards and accomplishments

Personal life

Crawford's cousin, J. P. Crawford, also plays baseball.[52] He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1st round of the 2013 MLB draft, 16th overall.

In December 2013, Crawford announced his engagement to Evelyn Lozada. Crawford has a son with Lozada and two children from a previous relationship.[53][54][55][56] In August 2017, the couple called off the engagement.[57][58]

Carl is also CEO of Houston independent record label 1501 Certified Entertainment and was the first executive to sign hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion. In early 2018, she officially signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment.[59]

gollark: ++remind 5d5m +>markov
gollark: +>markov 258639553357676545 2
gollark: +>markov 258639553357676545 2
gollark: +>markov 258639553357676545 2
gollark: ++remind 5d anaardvarks

See also

References
  1. "Carl Crawford Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  2. Grant Brisbee (September 29, 2011). "Carl Crawford And The Red Sox: The Perfect Storm". MLB.com/SB Nation. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  3. "Career Leaders &amp Records for Triples". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  4. "Houston's RBI program gives kids opportunities". Houston Chronicle. July 24, 2010. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  5. Lauber, Scott (January 7, 2011). "Deep in the heart of Carl Crawford". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on May 1, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  6. "Childhood friends Bourn, Crawford watch careers take different paths". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  7. McCarron, Anthony (December 12, 2010). "Carl Crawford shifts dynamics of rivalry between Red Sox and Yankees in American League East". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  8. "Baseball Cube". Baseball Cube. August 5, 1981. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  9. "Tampa Bay Devil Rays timeline". Tampabay.rays.mlb.com. May 24, 2013. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  10. Chastain, Bill (July 1, 2007). "Crawford selected to AL All-Star squad". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013.
  11. "The 2006 Fielding Bible Awards". The Fielding Bible. Archived from the original on November 10, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  12. "Carl Crawford 2007 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  13. "Face of the Franchise: Tampa Bay Devil Rays". ESPN. August 2007. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
  14. "Jockbio". Jockbio. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  15. "The 2008 Awards". The Fielding Bible. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  16. Forde, Craig (January 17, 2012). "Wrist surgery for Carl Crawford". Boston.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  17. Gordon Edes (January 17, 2012). "Boston Red Sox's Carl Crawford has surgery on left wrist". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  18. "Crawford taking thievery to new level: Speedster ties modern-day record with six steals vs. Boston". MLB.com. May 3, 2009. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
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  20. "Box Score: Redsox vs. Rays". May 3, 2009. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014.
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  24. Pete Kerzel (July 20, 2010). "Crawford suffers groin injury vs. Orioles". Mlb.mlb.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  25. Joseph Smith (July 31, 2010). "Carl Crawford picks up his 400th career steal". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  26. Joe Smith (September 29, 2010). "Crawford voted Rays Team MVP, Davis tabbed top rookie". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
  27. "AL Gold Glove winners named". ESPN.com. November 9, 2010. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  28. Marc Topkin (November 11, 2010). "Carl Crawford wins first Silver Slugger Award". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  29. Flannery, Paul (December 9, 2010). "Red Sox agree to terms with Carl Crawford". Fullcount.weei.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  30. "Boston Red Sox sit Carl Crawford; hopes to get back 'focus'". ESPN.com. April 16, 2011. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
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  32. "Active Leaders &amp Records for Fielding % as LF (s.1954)". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  33. "Red Sox collapse complete with loss to Orioles". SB Nation. September 29, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
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  35. "Carl Crawford Injury: Red Sox Outfielder Has Sprained Ligament In Elbow". The Huffington Post. AP. April 26, 2012. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  36. Austin Laymance (September 17, 2012). "Outfielder Carl Crawford back in lineup for Red Sox". Boston Red Sox. MLB. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
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  38. Joe McDonald (August 21, 2012). "Carl Crawford to get Tommy John". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
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  40. Hernandez, Dylan (13 February 2013). "New Dodger Carl Crawford was bummed in Boston". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  41. Axisa, Mike (August 25, 2012). "Red Sox, Dodgers Complete Nine-Player Blockbuster". Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  42. Kevin Baxter (April 1, 2013). "Carl Crawford quickly makes believers of Dodgers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  43. "2013 NL Division Series - Los Angeles Dodgers over Atlanta Braves (3-1) - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  44. Bloom, Earl (May 28, 2014). "Crawford headed to DL with left ankle sprain". Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  45. Weisman, Jon (April 28, 2015). "Crawford heads to disabled list, Hernandez recalled". dodgers.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  46. Stephen, Eric (July 21, 2015). "Dodgers option Brandon Beachy, DFA Preston Guilmet to make room for Carl Crawford". SB Nation. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  47. Padilla, Doug (June 5, 2016). "Carl Crawford designated for assignment by Dodgers". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  48. Ken Gurnick (June 13, 2016). "Crawford clears waivers, released". MLB.com. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  49. Scott Miller (September 28, 2017). "Former All-Star Carl Crawford Is Making $21.9M to Not Play, and He's OK with It". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  50. "Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays". ESPN.com. May 3, 2009. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  51. "Tampa Bay Devil Rays". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014.
  52. Mayo, Jonathan (May 25, 2013). "High school shortstop J.P. Crawford leads way in Draft for middle infielders". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  53. "'Basketball Wives' Evelyn Lozada is engaged". USA Today. December 26, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  54. "Evelyn Lozada Welcomes a Baby Boy". ABC News. March 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  55. "Carl Crawford Baby Mama: Dodgers Star Seeks To Stop Ex-Girlfriend Amy Freeman From Moving To Calif., Report Says". International Business Times. December 23, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  56. "Dodgers Star Carl Crawford YOU'RE RICH, PAY ME ... Says Baby Mama". TMZ Sports. May 5, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  57. Marcus, Emily (August 10, 2017). "Evelyn Lozada and Carl Crawford Call Off Their Engagement". Us Weekly. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  58. Lincoln, Danielle (August 9, 2017). "Carl Crawford Calls Off Engagement When He Realized He Would Lose Half His Money From A Divorce". TotalProSports.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  59. Howard, Nandi (August 30, 2018). "Megan Thee Stallion : Electricfying rap out of Houston". The Fader. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
Preceded by
Josh Hamilton		 American League Player of the Month
June 2008		 Succeeded by
Miguel Cabrera
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