J.P. Crawford: Seattle's unsung hero
J.P. Crawford wasn't an All-Star. But he's delivered All-Star production this year.
Mariners fans have been celebrating the recognition several of the team’s players have been receiving this year. First, there’s Cal Raleigh being viewed as an MVP contender. Then, there’s Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodríguez, Bryan Woo, and Andrés Muñoz being named All-Stars along with Raleigh. But one vital contributor to Seattle’s lineup is seemingly going under the radar.
For me, Crawford is the unsung hero of this Mariners squad. The other guys were named All-Stars - deservedly so. Some will receive MVP or Cy Young consideration. All are very important to Seattle’s success. But where would this team be without its long-time shortstop?
Probably not in a good place.
A valuable bat
Through the first 100 games of the season, Crawford has been one of Seattle’s most productive hitters. He’s currently pacing the team in hits, batting average, and on-base percentage. But several other categories also reflect the 30-year-old’s importance to the lineup.
Crawford’s Mariners Rankings
103 Hits (1st)
17.6 SO% (2nd)
13.1 BB% (2nd)
.285 AVG (1st)
.384 OBP (1st)
.387 SLG (5th)
129 wRC+ (3rd)
Crawford’s 31 multi-hit games lead the team with Rodríguez (28), Arozarena (28), and Raleigh (23) being his closest competition. The lone Mariner with a lower strikeout rate than the 16th overall pick of 2013 is Jorge Polanco (14.1%), while Raleigh’s 14.5-percent walk rate is just ahead of Crawford’s.
From an overall productivity standpoint, only Raleigh (170) and Arozarena (136) boast a higher wRC+ than Crawford (129).
Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) quantifies how a hitter’s total offensive value compares with the league average after adjusting for park effects. League-average is always 100. Therefore, a wRC+ of 150 means a hitter was 50-percent more productive than the average player. An 80 wRC+ would be 20-percent below average.
Crawford’s superpower is getting to first base via walk or base hit. He currently has the seventh highest OBP among qualified hitters. Moreover, the nine-year veteran has reached base two-or-more times in 57 games. Only three players have done so more often.
Most Games Reaching Base Two-Plus Times
Aaron Judge (69)
Rafael Devers (61)
Shohei Ohtani (59)
J.P. Crawford (57)
Juan Soto (57)
Kyle Schwarber (56)
Elly De La Cruz (54)
James Wood (52)
Matt Olson (52)
Pete Alonso (52)
José Ramírez (51)
Kyle Tucker (50)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (50)
Randy Arozarena (49)
Fernando Tatis Jr. (48)
Perhaps some fans don’t view Crawford as the prototypical leadoff hitter. After all, he possesses average-ish speed and doesn’t have a reputation for being as a stealer of bases. Still, there’s a decent chance the Lakewood High School product will be on base when Seattle’s big boppers come to the plate. This is an important consideration for his team’s overall run production effort.
Reliable performer
Not only has Crawford been good, he’s been consistent. A characteristic few teammates have demonstrated as well as he has. This includes a pair of players who were among the two best hitters in baseball at different points in the season.
Over the first month of the 2025 campaign, Polanco (242 wRC+) rivaled baseball’s best bat, Aaron Judge (252). But the Dominican Republic native cratered to a combined 48 wRC+ in May and June. That said, Polanco has bounced back nicely with a 172 wRC+ in July.
Raleigh had been an above average run producer since Opening Day. But the All-Star catcher has a 91 wRC+ in July after producing a 185 wRC+ over the first three months of the season. The only player ahead of him during this stretch was Judge.
And that brings us to Crawford, who’s posted an above-average wRC+ in each month of the 2025 campaign.
Crawford’s Monthly wRC+(2025)
Mar/Apr (143)
May (116)
Jun (122)
Jul (139)
It’s important to note that Arozarena is the other Mariner with an above-average wRC+ in every month this year. Perhaps he’ll get his flowers from the newsletter in the near future.
Balanced attack
There was a lot of fanfare over the winter regarding the pairing of hitting gurus Edgar Martínez and Kevin Seitzer. Entering the season, a segment of fans was hoping Martinez and Seitzer would help Rodríguez recapture his Rookie of the Year mojo. But is it possible that Crawford has benefited most from the duo’s presence?
Evergreen reminder: I’m a nerd who possesses zero expertise in swing mechanics or anything related to hitting. But I do find it intriguing that Crawford is spraying the ball around the field in a more balanced manner this season than he ever has done in the past.
As we enter the final week of July, Crawford has been hitting the ball both up the middle and to the opposite field at an identical 35.2-percent rate. In no other season, have those numbers been so close, let alone the same.
Perhaps Crawford’s even distribution of batted balls is the result of new voices, something he worked on by himself in the offseason, or simply the randomness we witness in baseball all the time. Regardless of the cause, this change has produced a remarkably balanced spray chart. Forty-one hits to the opposite field, 31 pulled to the right side, and 31 up the middle.
Finally, Crawford has the third most opposite field hits in baseball with two former batting champions ahead of him: Luis Arraez and Yandy Díaz. That’s impressive company.
Most Opposite Field Hits
Luis Arraez (48)
Yandy Díaz (43)
J.P. Crawford (41)
Xavier Edwards (37)
Alec Bohm (34)
Christian Yelich (34)
For anyone curious, the closest Mariner hitter to Crawford in this category is rookie Ben Williamson (25).
Peer review
Crawford has never been selected for an All-Star game, which isn’t necessarily surprising. Shortstop is always a deep position with many worthy candidates. But the overall productivity of the left-handed hitting shortstop from Long Beach, California compares well to his peers, including the All-Stars.
Best SS wRC+
Jeremy Peña (145)*
CJ Abrams (130)
J.P. Crawford (129)
Elly De La Cruz (127)*
Jacob Wilson (124)*
Zach Neto (123)
Gunnar Henderson (122)
Geraldo Perdomo (122)
Bobby Witt Jr. (118)*
Bo Bichette (114)
Trea Turner (114)
Francisco Lindor (112)*
* 2025 All-Star
Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting that Crawford should’ve been picked over other players who were named All-Stars. But his offensive production signals he deserved being in the selection conversation.
Historical good Mariner
Okay, I acknowledge upfront that shortstop hasn’t been a strength of the Mariners organization for long stretches of its almost half-century of existence. Plus, there’s an extremely large gap between the best shortstop in franchise history, Álex Rodríguez, and everyone else who’s played the position since 1977. But this shouldn’t diminish the nice career Crawford has put together in Seattle.
According to the Baseball Reference version of wins above replacement (bWAR), Crawford is the second-most valuable Mariner shortstop behind A-Rod.
Mariners Career bWAR Leaders (SS)
Álex Rodríguez (38.1)
J.P. Crawford (20.9)
Omar Vizquel (10.3)
Brendan Ryan (7.5)
Jean Segura (7.1)
Yuniesky Betancourt (3.4)
Spike Owen (3.3)
Craig Reynolds (3.3)
Conventionally speaking, Crawford ranks behind only Rodríguez in hits, doubles, and home runs. But these numbers and bWAR are counting stats, and since Crawford has played more games at shortstop than any Mariner, he has a decided advantage over the field. On the other hand, only A-Rod and Jean Segura have a better OBP and wRC+ than Crawford.
When we compare Crawford to all Mariner hitters, his current 20.9 bWAR is ninth best all-time. To me, it’s reasonable to expect him to reach sixth place before his contract expires after next season. If this ends up being the case, he’d be surrounded by some of the biggest names in franchise history.
Mariners Career bWAR Leaders
Ken Griffey Jr. (70.6)
Edgar Martínez (68.4)
Ichiro Suzuki (56.4)
Álex Rodríguez (38.1)
Kyle Seager (37.0)
Robinson Canó (23.9)
Jay Buhner (23.0)
Adrian Beltré (21.2)
J.P. Crawford (20.9)
Alvin Davis (20.1)
Julio Rodríguez (20.0)
Bret Boone (19.2)
Mike Cameron (18.4)
John Olerud (17.1)
Nelson Cruz (17.0)
It’s always easy for me to root for a player like J.P. Crawford. Through hard work and perseverance, he’s become a central figure in his team’s lineup and is almost always available to play. Plus, the 2020 Gold Glover is reportedly a team leader on the field and in the clubhouse. What’s there not to like?
Crawford isn’t destined for a plaque with his name in Cooperstown. But to me, there’s a reasonable chance that his career achievements in the Emerald City eventually lead to him being honored as the newest addition to the Mariners Hall of Fame.
Wouldn’t that be a wonderful honor for the unsung hero of Seattle’s offense?
My Oh My…