San Francisco Giants 2016 Season Grades: Infielders and Catchers

10 of 10

Aug 15, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (35) dives for a ground ball single hit by Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman David Freese (not pictured) at AT&T Park the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Francisco Giants 8 to 5. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /

BRANDON CRAWFORD. A+. . SS. San Francisco Giants

Brandon Crawford had the highest defensive WAR amongst NL players tied with Addison Russel at 2.7. He also had the Highest total WAR on the Giants this year. With the most RBI and triples on the team, Crawford continued his offensive growth that began last season. Crawford became a reliable batter in critical situations this season and was easily the team leader on the field. For that, he won the 2016 Willie Mac Award, given to the most deserving player as voted on by the Giants ballclub. He shared it with Javy Lopez, but it was clear that Crawford was the team’s 2016 MVP.

Not only was he an MVP at the plate, his defense was as stellar as ever. As mentioned before, he had the highest defensive WAR in the NL, including a top 3 Range Factor. With the most fielding chances in the NL(633), he had the most assists(413), and second most put outs (209).

Crawford wasn’t an all-star for reasons that really can’t be explained. Corey Seager, Aldemys Diaz, and Addison Russell were named to the roster over Crawford. You can probably blame it on the fan vote, but we’ll save that gripe for another day.

He did what was expected of him, and maybe even more. The Giants gave him a big contract extension before this season, and he repaid the favor nicely. That can’t be said for all the recent contract extensions. Crawford was the Team MVP, and for that he gets an A+.

Next: 2016 Giants Outfielder Grades

Here is the posting schedule for The Giant’s 2016 Season Grades:

10/14: Outfielders

10/15: Infielders/Catchers

10/16: Starters

10/17: Bullpen

10/18: Management