After a career that included gold-plated defense and championships with his hometown San Francisco Giants and then a finish surrounded by family with the Cardinals, Brandon Crawford announced his retirement Wednesday evening.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time for the next chapter,鈥 Crawford wrote in .
Crawford, 37, played 14 seasons in the majors and all but 28 games of his 1,682-game career came with the Giants, the team he grew up cheering for and dreamed about playing for. Those 28 games came this past season with the Cardinals, who signed the veteran shortstop during spring training to be both a backup for and a mentor to rookie shortstop Masyn Winn.
Although limited when it came to playing time on the field and production at the plate, Crawford was regularly lauded for what he provided the young infielders in the clubhouse. Winn said several elements of his pregame routine and preparation came directly from watching or talking to Crawford, and one of Winn鈥檚 representatives praised Crawford for the guidance he offered Winn.
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Crawford was one of the first to predict how Winn would earn consideration for the Gold Glove Award; Winn was a finalist.
For Crawford, the offer from the Cardinals gave his youngest child a chance to see him play, and his family was a constant presence around the club.
鈥淭o the Cardinals, thank you for giving me the opportunity to continue my career for one more season,鈥 Crawford wrote on the Instagram message. 鈥淭his opportunity gave me a chance to experience a different role for the first time in my career. It also gave Jazlyn a chance to watch me play 鈥 even if she won鈥檛 remember it, we鈥檝e got plenty of pictures to look back on 鈥 and created unforgettable moments on the field and in the clubhouse with my other four kids. ... I genuinely enjoyed my final season playing for another historic franchise.鈥
As part of the Cardinals鈥 early signal of a shift toward youth and change in the roster, they released Crawford toward the end of August.
In 13 years with the Giants, Crawford won four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards as one of the most reliable and smooth shortstops in the National League. He was selected for three All-Star Games, and in 2021, at age 34, he finished fourth in the voting for the National League MVP.
He is the club鈥檚 all-time leader in games at shortstop.
A Bay Area native drafted out of UCLA by San Francisco in 2008, Crawford was the Giants starting shortstop for World Series championships in 2012 and 2014. Each of those years, Crawford and the Giants ousted the Cardinals in the National League Championship Series to claim the pennant and advanced to the World Series.
鈥淚 definitely pretended to win a World Series in my backyard 鈥 but winning two?鈥 Crawford wrote on Instagram. 鈥淭hat was beyond my wildest dreams.鈥
Shortly after Crawford posted his retirement to the social media site, the Giants announced they would honor him and his career April 26 at Oracle Park.
Brandon Crawford, a four-time Gold Glove Award winner, talks after signing a one-year deal to be Cardinals鈥 backup shortstop. He discusses a willingness to take on that new role after 13 years in the majors as the starter.
