Brandon Crawford has developed into one of Major League Baseball’s best all-around shortstops in recent years, but the San Francisco Giants may be without their star middle infielder after he suffered a finger injury during Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Crawford Out vs. Padres
Friday, Sept. 23
The Giants announced Crawford will not be in the starting lineup against San Diego on Friday.
Crawford’s Bat Essential to Giants Lineup
The 29-year-old veteran is currently hitting .267/.333/.423 with 12 home runs and 80 RBI, and he also provides Gold Glove-caliber defense in support of his pitchers.
Crawford has been in the league since 2011, but it wasn’t until 2014 that he truly started to break out. He hit .246 with 10 home runs and 69 RBI while helping the Giants win their third World Series title in five years.
That momentum carried over into 2015, as Crawford had the best statistical season of his career, setting personal marks with a .256 batting average, 21 home runs, 84 RBI and 65 runs scored. Crawford was also named to the All-Star team for the first time and took home both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.
Crawford was rewarded for his spectacular season in a big way, as the Giants signed him to a six-year, $75 million contract extension.
Crawford has dealt with a few nagging injuries over the course of his career, missing an average of 15 games per season from 2012 through 2015, and the Giants are hopeful that his current ailment is nothing bigger than that.
The Giants are a team capable of battling through adversity and remaining in the race even when they lose players, and they’ll have to draw on their winning experience to ensure that is the case.
Crawford’s value to San Francisco is tough to measure, but there is no question that his presence will be missed both at the plate and in the field.
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