Best San Francisco Giants of the 2010s: 7. Brandon Crawford

Slick-fielding Brandon Crawford has been a staple at the shortstop position for the San Francisco Giants since debuting in 2011.

The San Francisco Giants selected Brandon Crawford in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB draft out of UCLA.

A three-year starter in college, he hit .319/.393/.499 with 77 extra-base hits during his time with the Bruins, making him one of the top collegiate middle infielders in his draft class.

He was the No. 9 prospect in the San Francisco Giants system at the start of the 2010 season and moved up to No. 6 going into the 2011 season, according to Baseball America.

With veteran Miguel Tejada struggling to lock down the shortstop job, Crawford made his MLB debut on May 27, 2011.

He hit just .204/.288/.296 with 10 extra-base hits in 66 games as a rookie, but he was still worth 0.3 WAR on the strength of his terrific glovework.

While it took some time for his offensive game to round into form, he was worth at least 2.0 WAR each season from 2012 to 2018.

He peaked at the plate in 2015 when he batted .256/.321/.462 with 33 doubles, 21 home runs and 84 RBI en route to a career-high 5.5 WAR. He made the All-Star team for the first time that year and won Silver Slugger honors.

Aside from his offensive rise, he is also a three-time Gold Glove winner, and he has racked up 78 Defensive Runs Saved over the course of his career.

The San Francisco Giants locked him up with a six-year, $75 million extension prior to the 2016 season, and he still has two years and $30 million remaining on his contract with full no-trade protection.

The 32-year-old has seen his production bottom out this year with a .225/.299/.354 line that amounts to a career-low 74 OPS+ and just 0.5 WAR.

Despite his decline, Crawford was an integral part of the 2012 and 2014 World Series champion teams, and at his peak, he was one of the best two-way shortstops in the game.

Check back here regularly as we count down the 50 best San Francisco Giants of the 2010s.