Stelton: J.P. Crawford again shows immense leadership for Mariners

After spending eight seasons as the Seattle Mariners’ starting shortstop, J.P. Crawford embarked on a new chapter of his career this past week while sliding over to make his first four starts with the club at third base.

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The position change was ultimately Crawford’s idea – a team-first move the 31-year-old former Gold Glove Award winner pitched to the Mariners last month to make room at shortstop for 20-year-old top prospect Colt Emerson.

Seattle Sports’ Bob Stelton highlighted Crawford’s move to the hot corner during his weekly Bob’s Baseball Breakdown, saying it’s yet another example of the de facto team captain’s leadership within the Mariners’ clubhouse.

“There’s nothing but praise (from his teammates) and raving about the character that he possesses and how he’s a leader – whether he’s out there on the mound talking to a pitcher who may be scuffling a bit, or whether he’s taking Colt Emerson and Cole Young under his wing,” Stelton said.

“And Bryan Woo talked about (how Crawford) does things that a lot of people aren’t going to see – whether it’s working with those guys on the field, or taking them out to dinner, or getting them clothes to dress like a big leaguer. I mean, he’s an absolute leader and he’s got the respect of that entire clubhouse, without question.

“And then for him to go to the organization and say, look, I’ll play third. I get it. This kid’s the future. I want to do whatever it’s going to take for this team to win. I mean, I don’t know how you could look at it any other way than that’s a leader and that’s a guy full of character.”

As for Crawford’s transition to third base? It seems to be going smoothly, with Crawford already delivering several highlight-reel plays.

On Wednesday, he made a diving stop and throw to first. On Thursday, he made a backhanded snag and throw to first. And on Saturday, while playing in a shift, he made another diving stop and then glove-flipped the ball to Emerson to kickstart a sensational double play.

“He’s made some great plays over there,” Stelton said. “There have not been any of those moments where you’re going, oh, that didn’t look natural or that looked a little shaky. … J.P. looks like he’s been playing third his whole career.”

Watch the full Bob’s Baseball Breakdown in the video atop this story. Tune into Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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