San Francisco Giants: 10 best shortstops in franchise history

By Joel Reuter

Jul 18, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 01: Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants to complete the double-pay looks to get his throw off over the top of Freddy Galvis #13 of the San Diego Padres in the top of the fifth inning at AT&T Park on May 1, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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PHOENIX, AZ – APRIL 02: Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB opening day game at Chase Field on April 2, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

5. Brandon Crawford (2011-19), San Francisco Giants

Stats: 96 OPS+, .250/.316/.392, 1,005 H, 93 HR, 507 RBI, 457 R
WAR: 23.1 rWAR/20.5 fWAR
Accolades: 2x All-Star, 3x Gold Glove, 1x Silver Slugger
WS Titles: 2

A three-year starter at UCLA, Brandon Crawford was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the fourth round of the 2008 draft.

While he never hit a ton in the minors, his glove carried him to the big leagues and he made his major league debut on May 27, 2001, supplanting an aging Miguel Tejada and an out-of-position Mike Fontenot to emerge as the team’s starting shortstop.

It took him a few years to find his footing offensively, but he eventually emerged as one of the better two-way players at the position, peaking in 2015 when he posted a 113 OPS+ with 33 doubles and 21 home runs to win Silver Slugger honors the same year he won his first Gold Glove.

He has since added two more Gold Gloves to his trophy case, to go along with a pair of World Series rings.

His production at the plate has dipped this season and he’s lost a step defensively, but he’s still an above-average shortstop and his 87 OPS+ could be worse.

With two years at $15.2 million a pop left on his contract and no clear near-term replacement in the system, Crawford should have two more seasons to build on his Giants legacy.