Seattle Mariners Shortstop Makes Franchise History with Stellar Defensive Year
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners wrapped another season on Sunday with a 6-4 win against the Oakland Athletics.
The Mariners, who finished the season 85-77, missed out on the postseason for the 22nd time in 23 years and still have just one year of October baseball to show for a franchise-record four consecutive winning seasons (2021-24).
But even though Seattle missed out on the playoffs, there was some good to take away from 2024, including several players setting either career, franchise or MLB-highs.
One of those players was the Mariners' starting shortstop and team captain JP Crawford.
The eighth-year major leaguer and sixth-year Seattle infielder didn't have the season he would have wanted offensively. He batted just .202 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs to go with five steals. On top of that, he missed over a month from July 23-Aug. 28 with a right pinky fracture. He was also injured earlier in the season as well.
Defensively, however, Crawford was elite. In fact, he had one of the best defensive years by a Mariners shortstop ever.
Crawford finished the season with a .991 fielding percentage in 328 total chances in 894.2 innings played at shortstop with just three errors. He also helped turn 36 double plays.
J.P. Crawford, incredible, inning-ending double play -- all on his own. pic.twitter.com/jfvduqxFwG
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) June 25, 2024
That's the highest single-season fielding percentage by a Mariner shortstop in franchise history (minimum of 800 innings played). Omar Vizquel was the previous record-holder with a .989 percentage in 1992 and Alex Rodriguez was third with a .986 mark in 2000.
Crawford is also the first American League shortstop to play at least 800 innings at the position and finish with a .990 fielding percentage or above since Baltimore Orioles shortstop JJ Hardy did it with a .992 mark in 2015. Crawford won a Gold Glove Award in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Crawford has two more years left on his contract and will be a valuable veteran presence until the franchise is ready to hand over the reigns to top middle infield prospects like Ryan Bliss, Cole Young, Colt Emerson, Michael Arroyo or Felnin Celesten.
But if Crawford can have a bounce-back year at the plate in 2025, the team won't be looking for another shortstop anytime soon.
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