San Francisco Giants Legendary Infielder Announces His Retirement

One of the San Francisco Giants legends has announced his retirement after 14 years of Major League Baseball.

Oct 1, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford watches a tape of season highlights following the final game of the season, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Oracle Park / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are being led this offseason by one of their past legendary players, Buster Posey, after he was hired to take over the president of baseball operations role following the decision to fire Farhan Zaidi.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding what Posey might be able to do for this franchise as he looks to get them back into World Series contention.

But, on Wednesday, it was another legendary Giants player who stole the headlines.

Brandon Crawford officially announced his retirement, ending his 14-year MLB career that saw him spend 13 of them in San Francisco.

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Taken in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB draft, Crawford was able to play his way into being considered one of the organization's best prospects.

That earned him a quick ride through the minors until he was called up for his Major League debut in 2011 and officially started what became his legendary career.

Crawford was one of the best fielders at shortstop during his professional career, leading the NL in defensive bWAR in 2016 (3.4) and winning four Gold Gloves.

While he was never a great offensive player, finishing with a .249/.318/.395 slash line and OPS+ that was four points below the league average, he did take home a Silver Slugger award in 2015.

Most importantly, though, Crawford was a major reason why this team won World Series titles in 2012 and 2014.

Named the Opening Day shortstop in 2012 after making his debut the year prior, his defense was incredible throughout the regular season and during the playoffs that turned him into a staple in San Francisco's lineup going forward.

The Giants will honor Crawford on April 26 of this upcoming campaign they announced in a statement reported by Justice delos Santos of Mercury News.

"It was an honor to get to know Brandon as a friend and as a teammate. From the first day we were both drafted in 2008 to our final year playing together in 2021, it was an honor to play alongside him for 14 years. Whether it was the clutch 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 over and over again, Brandon made his mark in a way few athletes ever do," Posey said as part of the statement.

Crawford had a great career in Major League Baseball, and while he didn't finish his last professional season with the franchise that drafted him, he'll always be legend in San Francisco.