Drayer: J.P. Crawford deserving of Mariners Hall of Fame

One of the quieter stories to emerge from the MLB General Managers meetings in Las Vegas this past week was J.P. Crawford had been told he was not a part of the Seattle Mariners’ plans for 2027.

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It was not surprising news, but the finality of it no doubt hit hard for Mariners fans, as Crawford had grown into a franchise favorite in his eight years in Seattle.

It is a distinction that was well-earned.

Crawford’s public farewell came in the final game of the season when he was lifted in the fifth inning with Leo Rivas walking out slowly to take his place at shortstop. There were hugs behind the mound before Crawford started his final journey to the Mariners’ dugout, tipping his cap to the fans and his family, along the way wiping the tears that escaped the cover of his sunglasses several times.

As he got closer, the familiar “J.P! J.P!” chant began. It’s a cheer that as far as I can remember hadn’t been heard with regularity since “Ich-ee-ro!” echoed through the stadium in the early 2000s. It’s quite a distinction for Crawford, who quietly cemented his place in the upper echelons of Mariners fandom with both his play and his heart.

JP leaves the field. On and off the field, one of the best that has put on the Mariners uniform. https://t.co/zTMMBVWL9K

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) September 27, 2026

While not quite a career Mariner, having started with the Philadelphia Phillies, fans had the chance to watch the bulk of Crawford’s career to date. One of the original building blocks in the franchise’s “stepback” that followed the 2018 season, the then-23-year-old former first-round draft pick was acquired by Seattle in a trade that December that sent Jean Segura, Juan Nicasio and James Pazos to Philadelphia in exchange for Crawford and Carlos Santana.

“J.P. Crawford gives us a young shortstop who is very athletic and fills up the tool box,” then-general manager Jerry Dipoto, now the club’s president of baseball operations, said at the time. “While he didn’t hit for a high average, he controls the strike zone. We feel like with a fresh start in Seattle and working with (infield coach) Perry Hill and given the opportunity to do the things he does, this is an exciting young player that we’re thrilled to have.”

Coming off an injury-shortened season, Crawford started his Mariners tenure in Triple-A Tacoma before being called up to the big leagues in early May of 2019 and went 2 for 4 in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. He settled into shortstop with his new team between Dee Strange-Gordon and Kyle Seager, two players he credits with helping shape who he is as a ballplayer and teammate.

Crawford embraced the fresh start, even though it came on a team that essentially was the rubble with few building blocks from the teardown. The next year was anything but normal, with the world shut down and at times on fire during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. In that time of isolation, however, the team came together, and Crawford, as Dipoto had hoped, benefited from his work with Hill, coming away with a Gold Glove Award at shortstop that year.

In 2021, we had a better opportunity to get to know Crawford. Fans were allowed back in the stands, reporters eventually allowed on the field and baseball became normal in that time. Crawford continued to take steps forward in his baseball career, and it was evident he was taking steps forward in other areas as well. A walkoff interview late in the season revealed a version of Crawford that Dipoto likely was not expecting to get at the time of the trade, as the then-26-year-old asserted that he wanted to be a leader for the team.

Crawford said he had been one at every level he played at, and that he was that guy.

“Knowing that I am going to be that guy that people come up to, I’m ready for the role,” Crawford said during a pregame show interview the next day. “I’m ready to lead. This is my team. I’m ready to put everybody on my back and get to work, keep going the way we are.”

Aside from surprising, Crawford’s words and the passion they were delivered with were refreshing.

Most players shy away from taking on leadership, or prefer to lead by example. Oftentimes, leaders need to be uncovered and nudged toward the role. Crawford was telling them, and saying so while on a team that included Seager, Mitch Haniger and Marco Gonzales. There was no shortage of accomplished veterans in leadership on that team that went on to win 90 games. It would be very easy for any younger players to find their spot and concentrate on taking care of their own business, but Crawford knew he had more to give, and in doing so, was taking ownership in his team.

Crawford was a cornerstone player for the Mariners in every sense of the word, and it was recognized as he was rewarded on opening day in 2022 with a five-year contract.

“It says a lot about trust, and I want to thank you for trusting me,” Crawford said at the press conference at Minnesota’s Target Field, where the Mariners were opening their season. “This is my team. It is permanently now, and I’m ready to lead these guys.”

Crawford was emotional in the press conference and interviews that followed directly after. He spoke of being in a “dark place” in Philadelphia, and being pulled out of it by Strange-Gordon and his new team.

“Getting traded over here was a breath of fresh air and I was able to get back on my feet and get in a good head space,” Crawford said. “Man, getting traded was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

It was perhaps the best thing for the Mariners in that era of their history as well.

The man that teammates came to call “captain” has been credited with being the heart and soul of the team. He has been there for each and every teammate, making himself available at all hours. He ran the music and he got the team going before leaving the clubhouse for the field. He hyped them up and calmed them down, with some pitchers saying it was him who made the best mound visits.

Crawford engaged with the fans, with his celebrations felt in the farthest reaches of the stadium. One of those celebrations will endure, as it was Crawford along with Sam Haggerty who came up with the idea for the trident. He bought a home in the area and started his family here. He had an impact on this and other communities and was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award multiple times.

Crawford made his mark as a Mariner, playing a franchise-high 972 games at shortstop while helping shepherd the team through a time of transition that would eventually lead to breaking the playoff drought and two postseason runs. He leaves the team in good shape, personally taking a hand in the development of those that could take his place, supporting Colt Emerson and Cole Young as they made the transition to the big leagues. Crawford made sure to give them what he didn’t have coming up in Philadelphia.

Crawford was never shy about expressing his desire to stay, saying Seattle was his home and he wanted to be a Mariner for life. Sometimes he said those words at his locker with his Mariners “50 Greatest Players” letterman’s jacket hanging behind him.

Perhaps someday, another jacket will be bestowed upon him, this one more formal – navy blue with the Mariners “S” logo over the pocket, with the words “Hall of Fame” beneath. It would be fitting, as he displayed so many of the characteristics and qualities of the 11 players already in the franchise’s Hall of Fame, and created a bond with his era’s fans just as strong.

Perhaps J.P. Crawford will become a Mariner forever.

The group could use a shortstop.

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