History of Brandon Crawford in Timeline

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

1905: Last Giants Shortstop to Lead in Home Runs

In 1905, Bill Dahlen was the last Giants' shortstop to lead the team in home runs before Brandon Crawford in 2015.

1961: Willie Mays' Game

In 1961, Willie Mays had at least two home runs and eight RBIs in a game, a feat that Brandon Crawford matched in July 2019.

1975: Stennett's Seven-Hit Game

In 1975, Rennie Stennett recorded seven hits in a single game, a feat that Brandon Crawford tied in 2016.

January 21, 1987: Brandon Crawford's Birth

On January 21, 1987, Brandon Michael Crawford was born. He is an American former professional baseball shortstop.

Others born on this day/year

April 1991: Decker's Walk-Off Solo Homer

In April 1991, Steve Decker hit a walk-off solo homer to win a 1-0 game, a feat Brandon Crawford repeated in June 2018.

1997: Last Giant to win Gold Glove and Silver Slugger

In 1997, Barry Bonds was the last Giant to win both a Rawlings Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award in the same year before Brandon Crawford in 2015.

1997: Snow's Gold Glove Streak Begins

In 1997, J.T. Snow started his streak of four consecutive Gold Glove Awards, a feat Brandon Crawford matched.

2000: Family Purchases Season Tickets

In 2000, Brandon Crawford's family purchased San Francisco Giants season tickets and a commemorative brick in Willie Mays Plaza.

2000: Snow's Gold Glove Streak Ends

In 2000, J.T. Snow ended his streak of four consecutive Gold Glove Awards, a feat Brandon Crawford matched.

2005: High School Graduation

In 2005, Brandon Crawford graduated from Foothill High School.

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.

2007: Rollins' Gold Glove Streak

From 2007 to 2009, Jimmy Rollins won three straight Gold Glove awards, a feat Brandon Crawford matched.

2007: All-Pac-10 Conference Team

In 2007, Brandon Crawford was named to the All-Pac-10 Conference team.

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.

November 26, 2011: Marriage to Jalynne Dantzscher

On November 26, 2011, Brandon Crawford married former UCLA gymnast Jalynne Dantzscher in Kona, Hawaii. They have three daughters and two sons.

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: Wilson Defensive Player of the Year

In 2012, Brandon Crawford was named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year.

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.

2015: All-Star, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger

In 2015, Brandon Crawford was an All-Star, Gold Glove Award winner, and won the Silver Slugger Award.

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.

2016: Willie Mac Award and Gold Glove

In 2016, Brandon Crawford won the Willie Mac Award and was awarded his second consecutive Gold Glove Award.

2016: Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award

In 2016, Brandon Crawford won the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award.

April 29, 2017: Disabled List Placement

On April 29, 2017, Brandon Crawford was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right groin strain.

2017: Third Consecutive Gold Glove Award

In 2017, Brandon Crawford was awarded his third consecutive Gold Glove Award.

2017: Gold Glove Award

In 2017, Brandon Crawford won a Gold Glove Award.

2017: Death of Jennifer Pippin

In 2017, Brandon Crawford's sister-in-law, Jennifer Pippin, who was the sister of Crawford's wife, died due to an asthma attack.

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.

2018: All-Star Selection

In 2018, Brandon Crawford was selected as an All-Star.

2018: Heart & Hustle Award

In 2018, Brandon Crawford was the Giants team winner of the Heart & Hustle Award.

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: All-Star and Gold Glove

In 2021, Brandon Crawford was named an All-Star and won a Gold Glove Award.

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: Active Leader in Games at Shortstop

At the end of the 2022 season, Brandon Crawford was second of all active players in games played at shortstop.

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.