Brandon Crawford calls it a career.
The veteran San Francisco Giants shortstop announced on social media Wednesday night that he has officially retired.
“I’m incredibly grateful for all the years I spent playing the game I love, but now it’s time to spend it with the people I’m most grateful for,” Crawford wrote, in part. “Thank you to everyone who has been there for me over the years. “It’s been an incredible journey… It’s time for the next chapter and I can’t wait for the new opportunities and different experiences it will create.”
Crawford spent almost his entire 14-year major league career with the Giants, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB Draft out of UCLA. He made his debut with the franchise in 2011 and helped lead them to a pair of World Series titles over the next 13 seasons: first in 2012, when they swept the Detroit Tigers, and again in 2014, when they beat the Kansas Royals. City. in seven games. A three-time All-Star, Crawford won four Gold Gloves during his career and earned a Silver Slugger in 2015.
Crawford spent last season with the St. Louis Cardinals, although he appeared in only 28 games with the team before being released. In total, he maintained a .249 batting average with 1,404 hits and 147 home runs in his 1,682 games in the league.
The Giants will officially honor Crawford, who grew up in the Bay Area, next season on April 26.
“It was an honor to know Brandon as a friend and teammate,” Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a statement. “From the day we were both drafted in 2008 to our last year playing together in 2021, it was an honor to play alongside him for 14 years. Whether it was the defining moments, like the grand slam he hit in the 2014 wild-card game in Pittsburgh, the franchise-record seven-hit game he recorded in Miami, or the dazzling defensive plays and acrobatic throws he made once and for all. Once again, Brandon made his mark like few athletes do.
“I am beyond grateful for our friendship and wish him all the best in this next chapter of life.”