Brandon Crawford calls it a career.
The longtime San Francisco Giants shortstop announced Wednesday evening on social media that he has officially retired.
“I’m incredibly grateful for all the years I’ve spent playing the game I love, but now it’s time for me to spend it with the people I’m most grateful for,” Crawford wrote, in part. “Thank you to all of you who have been there for me throughout the years. It’s been an incredible journey… It’s time to move on to the next chapter, and I can’t wait for the new opportunities and different experiences it will create.
Crawford spent almost his entire 14-year Major League Baseball career with the Giants, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB Draft out of UCLA. He debuted with the franchise in 2011 and helped them win two World Series titles over the next 13 seasons – first in 2012, when they swept the Detroit Tigers, and again in 2014 when they beat the Kansas City Royals. in seven matches. Crawford, a three-time All-Star, has won four Gold Glove awards throughout his career and he won a Silver Slugger award in 2015.
Crawford spent last season with the St. Louis Cardinals, although he only played in 28 games with the team before being released. Overall, he held a .249 batting average with 1,404 hits and 147 home runs during his 1,682 big league games.
The Giants will officially honor Crawford, who grew up in the Bay Area, next season on April 26.
“It was an honor to get to know Brandon as a friend and teammate,” Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a statement. “From the day we were both drafted in 2008 until our final year playing together in 2021, it was an honor to play alongside him for 14 years. Whether it was signature moments like the grand slam he hit in the 2014 wild card game in Pittsburgh, the game-record seven hits he recorded in Miami, or the dazzling defensive plays and acrobatic throws he performed over and over again, Brandon made his mark like few athletes do.
“I am beyond grateful for our friendship and wish him all the best in this next chapter of life.”
