Career Timeline of Brandon Crawford: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Brandon Crawford, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Brandon Crawford is a retired American professional baseball shortstop. He played 14 seasons in MLB, primarily for the San Francisco Giants, after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB draft. Crawford played college baseball at UCLA and concluded his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024. His MLB career spanned from 2011-2024.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2005: Plays for Mankato MoonDogs

In 2005, Brandon Crawford played in the Northwoods League for the Mankato MoonDogs before attending UCLA.

2006: FISU World Championship

In 2006, Brandon Crawford helped lead the United States national team to the title in the International University Sports Federation (FISU) World Championship.

2006: Joins UCLA Bruins

In 2006, Brandon Crawford played baseball for the UCLA Bruins.

2008: Leaves UCLA

In 2008, Brandon Crawford concluded his time playing baseball for the UCLA Bruins.

2008: Drafted by Giants

In 2008, Brandon Crawford was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the fourth round of the MLB draft and signed for a $375,000 signing bonus.

2009: First Full Season with San Jose Giants

In 2009, Brandon Crawford started his first full professional season with the High-A San Jose Giants.

2010: Eastern League All-Star Nod

In 2010, Brandon Crawford opened the season in Double-A and earned an Eastern League mid-season All-Star nod before being sidelined with a broken hand.

May 26, 2011: Promotion to Major Leagues

On May 26, 2011, Brandon Crawford was promoted to the major leagues by the Giants.

2011: Ranked as Giants Prospect

Heading into 2011, Brandon Crawford was ranked the sixth-best prospect in the Giants' organization by Baseball America.

2011: MLB Debut

In 2011, Brandon Crawford made his Major League Baseball debut.

2011: Spring Training and AFL All-Prospect Team

In 2011, Brandon Crawford was invited to spring training but suffered a broken finger. Later that year, he was named to the AFL All-Prospect Team.

2012: Opening Day Shortstop and World Series Win

In 2012, Brandon Crawford was named the team's opening day shortstop and won the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award, culminating in a World Series victory with the Giants.

2013: Starting Shortstop

In 2013, Brandon Crawford was the Giants' starting shortstop.

2014: Second World Series Championship

In 2014, Brandon Crawford won his second World Series championship with the Giants, batting .304 in the series and hitting a grand slam in the NL Wild Card Game.

January 27, 2015: Contract Agreement

On January 27, 2015, Brandon Crawford and the Giants avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.175 million deal.

2015: Contract Extension with the Giants

After the 2015 season, Brandon Crawford and the Giants agreed to a six-year, $75 million contract through the 2021 season, which included a no-trade clause.

April 8, 2016: Walk-off Home Run Against Dodgers

On April 8, 2016, Brandon Crawford hit a walk-off home run off Joe Blanton of the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game in which the Giants had been no-hit through 7 1⁄3 innings.

2017: Inaugural Crawford Family Charity Golf Tournament

Since 2017, Brandon Crawford has hosted the Crawford Family Charity Golf Tournament, raising funds for research to cure ALS.

June 27, 2018: Walk-off Home Run Against Rockies

On June 27, 2018, Brandon Crawford hit a walk-off home run against the Colorado Rockies.

July 15, 2019: Career-High Eight RBIs

On July 15, 2019, Brandon Crawford had a career-high eight runs batted in against the Rockies, tying the San Francisco team record.

2019: Batting Stats

In 2019, Brandon Crawford batted .228 with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs.

2020: Highest Slugging Percentage

In 2020, Brandon Crawford had the highest slugging percentage of his career at .465.

June 8, 2021: Most Games at Shortstop

On June 8, 2021, Brandon Crawford started in his 1,326th game playing shortstop for the Giants, passing Travis Jackson for the most games played at the position in franchise history.

2021: Leaping Catch in NLDS

During Game 3 of the 2021 NLDS, Brandon Crawford made a leaping catch to preserve a crucial lead for the Giants.

2021: Desire to Pitch

In 2021, Brandon Crawford expressed his desire to pitch in a big league game. However, at the time, manager Gabe Kapler declined the request due to Crawford's importance at shortstop.

2021: Silver Slugger Award Finalist and MVP Voting

In 2021, Brandon Crawford was named a Silver Slugger Award finalist and placed fourth in the National League MVP voting.

2021: National League Gold Glove Award

In 2021, Brandon Crawford won the National League Gold Glove Award at shortstop, tying him with J.T. Snow for the third-most Gold Glove Awards in Giants history.

2021: End of Contract Extension

In 2021, Brandon Crawford's six-year, $75 million contract extension with the Giants came to an end.

2022: 2022 Season Performance

In 2022, Brandon Crawford batted .231/.308/.344 with nine home runs and 52 RBIs for the Giants. Defensively, he led the National League in range factor per game at shortstop with 3.88. He was second of all active players in career games at shortstop (1,525).

2022: Recipient of the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award

In 2022, Brandon Crawford was named the recipient of the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.

2023: Pitching Debut and Season Performance

In 2023, Brandon Crawford made his first major-league appearance as a pitcher with a scoreless ninth inning of relief against the Chicago Cubs on June 11. On July 7, he hit a two-run home run off Austin Gomber. However, the 2023 season included multiple trips to the injured list, resulting in career lows in batting average and on-base percentage.

2023: End of Contract Extension

In 2023, Brandon Crawford's 2-year extension worth $32 million ended.

2023: Potential Final Game

On October 1st, 2023, Brandon Crawford played in what was speculated to be his final game for the Giants, a 5-2 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Prior to the game, his children threw the ceremonial first pitches, and he received standing ovations from fans. Manager Kai Correa removed him from the game in the 9th inning, allowing him to walk off the field to a final standing ovation. He went 0-4 in the game.