SF Giants: Brandon Crawford approaching franchise milestone

Longtime SF Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford will reach a franchise milestone in the next game he appears at the position. The veteran infielder has appeared in 1,325 games at shortstop in his 11 seasons with San Francisco. Only Travis Jackson (1,326) has appeared in more games at the position in franchise history in a career that went from 1922-1936.

SF Giants: Brandon Crawford approaching franchise milestone

Crawford is set to tie and surpass that mark in a two-game series against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Not only will the longtime shortstop hold the record for a franchise that dates back to 1883, but he is one of the more decorated players in team history as well. Crawford debuted with the club back in 2011 and memorably hit a grand slam in his first game with the Giants against the Milwaukee Brewers that helped secure a 5-4 victory.

Since then, the left-handed bat has been a key cog in two World Series championships (2012 and 2014), earned three Gold Glove Awards (2015-2017), and been named to the National League All-Star (2015 and 2018) team twice.

Despite being 34-years-old, Crawford looks to add to those accolades as he is in the midst of a career year. On the year, he has slashed .262/.351/.537 (148 OPS+) with 12 home runs and 37 RBI while being worth 2.1 WAR. Furthermore, he has played some of his best defense. He will likely earn a third National League All-Star nod, which takes place in Colorado next month.

Similar to Crawford, Travis Jackson was known for his stellar glove as he was given the nickname “Stonewall.” He debuted with the New York Giants as an 18-year-old and played his entire 15-year career with the organization.

In that time, he registered a .291/.337/.433 line (102 OPS+) with 135 home runs and 935 RBI while being worth 43.6 WAR. This included one All-Star appearance in 1933 and a World Series ring in 1934. Gold Gloves were not awarded until 1957, but it is fair to say that “Stonewall” Jackson would have had some more hardware in his trophy case had they been given out during his career.

When his career ended, Jackson, surprisingly, struggled to gain much traction in the BBWAA Hall of Fame Voting, never appearing on more than 7.3 percent of the ballots in any one voting cycle. He fell off of the ballot after 1962, but the Veteran’s Committee elected him in 1982 at 79 years of age.

Jackson passed away in 1987, but he got his moment to reflect on an incredible career in Cooperstown, New York.

His franchise record for games at shortstop has stood for decades, and the baton is now being handed off to another great SF Giants shortstop in Brandon Crawford.  The fan-favorite is set to become a free agent at the end of this season, but given the year he has had, the Giants should look to keep this record going.