Brandon Crawford announces retirement

A beautiful career officially comes to a close.

While the San Francisco Giants frantically look for a shortstop in free agency, one of the team’s best to ever do it officially said goodbye. On Wednesday night Brandon Crawford took to social media to announce that he was retiring from baseball.

Crawford posted a lengthy and heartfelt message spread out over two pictures: one of him in a Giants jersey, and one in a St. Louis Cardinals jersey. The Instagram post also featured two video compilations of his highlights.

Here’s the full message that Crawford posted:

During this time of the year, I am constantly being reminded of the things in my life that I am most thankful for. Baseball is one of them. Baseball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and for the rest of my life I will be thankful for the opportunities and experiences it has given me. Time is precious. I’m incredibly grateful for all the years I spent playing the game I love, but now it is time for me to spend it with the people who I am most thankful for. Thank you to all of you who have there [sic] for me throughout the years. It’s been an unbelievable ride…

Growing up in the Bay Area and going to games at Candlestick, I always dreamed of playing for the San Francisco Giants. Being drafted by my hometown team and spending most of my career with them far surpassed any dream I had as a kid. I definitely pretended to win a World Series in my backyard — but winning two? That was beyond my wildest dreams. I always dreamed of being the shortstop for the Giants, but never could I have imagined breaking the team record for the most games played at the position. As a kid sitting in the stands at Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T/Oracle Park, I would picture myself playing a game there, but I never imagined I’d end up playing the MOST games there. From a grand slam in my debut, silencing the crowd in Pittsburgh, to two unforgettable parades down Market Street, and more memories than I can fit in a single post, the 13 years in the Bay Area were nothing short of extraordinary.

Throughout my career I was honored with 4 Gold Gloves, 3 All-Star selections, a Silver Slugger, the Lou Gehrig Award, and the cherished Willie Mac Award. It’s been an unforgettable journey. Thank you Giants for allowing me to live out my dream and be a part of so much throughout my career in San Francisco.

And to the Cardinals, thank you for giving me the opportunity to continue my career for one more season. This 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 — even if she won’t remember it, we’ve got plenty of pictures to look back on — and created unforgettable moments on the field and in the clubhouse with my other four kids. Those are memories my family and I will always cherish. Although it was cut short, I genuinely enjoyed my final season playing for another historic franchise.

Baseball has given me, Jalynne, and the kids more than we ever thought possible, and for that we are so thankful. I wouldn’t have been able to have the career I did without their love and support every step along the way. I also want to thank my parents, siblings, in-laws, coaches, teammates, fans, and everyone else who guided, helped, and rooted for me throughout my career. Now it’s time for the next chapter, and I can’t wait for the new opportunities and different experiences that it will create.

Brandon Crawford

The Giants clearly had been talking with Crawford prior to the announcement, because within minutes of Crawford’s post, the team released a highlight package honoring Crawford and a press release thanking and congratulating him. More importantly, the team announced that Crawford will officially be honored at the park on April 26 … when the Giants, not surprisingly, host Bruce Bochy and the Texas Rangers.

In the press release, Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey said that, “It was an honor to get to know Brandon as a friend and as a teammate,” adding that “he made his mark in a way few athletes ever do.”

He’s not wrong. Following Crawford’s final game as a Giant, I wrote about his nearly perfect career, and how rare it was to have the type of career that Crawford had. Crawford, who was born in Mountain View and starred at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, was drafted by the Giants in 2008 (in the same draft as Posey) and made his MLB debut in 2011. Throughout his wildly-successful Giants career, he started at shortstop for 12 consecutive Opening Days.

The Giants poor communication and general clustermess at the shortstop position last offseason led to Crawford’s time with the organization coming to a close in a somewhat uncomfortable way. But he wasn’t done playing, as he signed a Major League deal with the Cardinals to provide backup depth and mentorship for Masyn Winn. While he only appeared in 28 games and received just 80 plate appearances, Crawford played a valuable player-coach role before being designated for assignment in late August.

With the front office shift from Farhan Zaidi to Posey, it’s expected that the Giants will return to instilling their rich history and past success into their current team, in a way that was lost during Zaidi’s tenure. It seems unlikely that Crawford will want to take on a full-time role as a coach or an executive, but it seems inevitable that he’ll be a player who regularly shows up at Spring Training to put in some work with the young players, and offer mentorship and leadership wherever he can.

Enjoy retirement, Craw. You sure as hell earned it. And thanks for all the memories.