J.P. Crawford helping make a path to big leagues for young players

Sep 15, 2024, 12:39 PM

J.P. Crawford of the Seattle Mariners runs out of the dugout on June 16, 2024. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

(Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Mariners Insider, Seattle Sports

The Seattle Mariners’ J.P. Crawford has a soft spot for kids.

If you have been at the ballpark for a Sunday game when the team takes the field with a local area youth at each position, there is a good chance you have seen it yourself. The children have baseballs to be signed before they trot off the field and play begins. The child at shortstop is most often the last to leave the field as Crawford takes the few seconds they have together to have a conversation. He gets down to kid level on one knee, signs the ball and has a chat for as long as he possibly can before the start of the game

Crawford is never too separated from the kid in himself. His memories of childhood and playing baseball are rich, and they’re part of what drove him to focus on youth baseball when he saw an opportunity to give back. His work and commitment to a number of organizations that assist kids are a large part of what earned him the Mariners’ nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award, an honor that is bestowed annually on the player that best represents the game “through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

Sunday afternoon following the Mariners’ series finale against the Rangers, an event near and dear to Crawford’s heart will take place on the field at T-Mobile Park. One of the organizations Crawford has worked closely with, BaseballGenerations, will hold a showcase for hopeful future big leaguers.

BaseballGenerations, of which Crawford has been a board member since 2017, is a Los Angeles based organization that provides skills camps and showcases for baseball players 8-18. The foundation provides support with the stated goal “to nurture talent, passion, and a love for the game, making baseball accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial background.”

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Crawford has been involved from the very beginning.

“We always had these conversations in the offseason about how we could give back and what can we do,” Crawford said on the Mariners radio pregame show this week. “And one year, we decided to do a little showcase.”

Crawford had seen firsthand the talent in the area – talent that often went overlooked. The first showcase was small, held on a high school field, but having big leaguers (Dominic Smith was also among those involved) perhaps helped get the word out.

“A lot of people showed up, and it was a good turnout,” said Crawford. “So we’re like, ‘We’ve got to keep doing this.'”

The event left Crawford thinking of his first showcase with MLB’s Urban Youth Academy and the impact that had on his life. He was already a high school standout, but the academy gave him so much more.

“All my friends were going there and I said, ‘Why not let me go one time?'” he remembered. “There was a showcase happening there and I pulled up, and I haven’t stopped going back there since after that. It was so fun. Just to be with all my friends that look like me, and, you know, growing up there wasn’t really like that. So it was really cool just to be comfortable, just to find a lot of people who look like me that love baseball just as much as I do.”

Crawford is now helping provide that opportunity for other kids. In the offseason he spends time at the skill camps and showcases. He makes himself fully available to the kids, ready to answer questions and share experiences. In the process, he gets plenty back as well.

“It’s honestly really fun, this new generation,” he said. “They’re not scared of the status of whoever you are. They’re going to talk their talk and it’s cool to see that. They have a bunch of ‘dog’ in them, and all of them are really competitive. It just reminds me of me when I was their age.”

In addition to the experiences he can share and the skills he can help teach, Crawford understands the importance of his presence as he was once in their shoes and fortunate to have an example close by.

“I wanted to be the next Aaron Hicks,” he said. “He was from my hometown. So I looked up to him my whole life. Him and Jon Singleton were down there. Just watching them, they were way more mature than I was. Watching them hit balls and they had cannons too. It was like, ‘Well, I got a lot of work to do, but you know, I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna be the next one up for sure.'”

He wasn’t wrong. Crawford was selected out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 16th pick overall in the 2013 MLB Draft. He learned his dream wasn’t too big and wants the same for others. The skills camps and showcase opportunities that BaseballGenerations provides is helping make that happen. Crawford marvels at the quick growth.

“The first showcase was just at a little high school in Los Angeles,” he said. “Nothing crazy. There were some scouts there, but it wasn’t that much. We’re just going with the flow type of thing. And then the next upcoming years, one was at USC and then you really saw the scouts in the back and like, OK, this is a good turnout. And then we had one at the academy and all the seats were filled with scouts and D1 coaches. So just the transformation of that is really cool to see. It’s getting bigger and better every year.”

There have certainly been success stories.

“A couple of guys three years ago got drafted in the first round and already are in Double-A. Hopefully next year they’re in the big leagues,” he said. “It means so much to see them make that whole journey. Hopefully the younger people see them going up doing the same thing that they did, and think I could do that too. And then hopefully that evolves into something bigger and give kids hope.”

Hope and dreams. A remarkable gift. Something that maybe sometimes can be hard to wrap one’s head around.

“For sure,” Crawford acknowledged. “But it can be done. And you know, I just got to believe.”

The winner of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award will be announced at the World Series following selection by a blue-ribbon panel of which one vote will come from the fans can vote at mlb.com/community/roberto-clemente-award through Sept. 29.