SF Giants legend knew that 2024 season would be final year before season began

SF Giants legend Brandon Crawford officially hung up his cleats at the end of November. However, he knew that the 2024 season would be his last even before the year began.

SF Giants legend knew that 2024 season would be final year before season began

Crawford joined the Murph and Markus Show on KNBR on Thursday morning to reflect on his 14-year career. He was asked when he knew that retirement was around the corner and said that the decision was made before the 2024 season:

"I had known I was going to retire for a while. Going into the season... When people would ask, I would let them know."

Brandon Crawford

Whether he was with the Giants or the St. Louis Cardinals, this would be his last after being selected in the fourth round of the 2008 draft. That draft turned out to be a franchise-altering one for the Giants as they selected both Buster Posey and Crawford within the first four rounds.

Crawford said that being on the injured list several times over the past few seasons informed him that it was time to step away. The longtime Giants shortstop was extremely durable throughout his career at a physically-demanding position. As time wore on, he spent more time on the injured list. This included four stints on the injured list in 2023.

The two-time World Series champion did confirm that he would not hold a solidified coaching role in 2025. He wants to enjoy that time with his family but he did leave the door open for being a roving instructor down the road. Now that Buster Posey is running the front office, that type of reunion feels inevitable when Crawford is ready.

Crawford achieved just about everything under the sun on a baseball field in his career. This included playing for his childhood team. He won four Gold Glove Awards, earned three NL All-Star selections, and helped the Giants win two titles. Crawford had some key moments during the 2014 championship run. This included hitting a grand slam against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a Wild Card game and completing the double play with Joe Panik during Game 7 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals.

The Giants will honor Crawford's career on April 26, 2025. The Texas Rangers will be in town led by former Giants manager Bruce Bochy.