On November 27th, professional baseball player and MoonDog historian, Brandon Crawford announced his retirement from the MLB. Brandon Crawford played for the MoonDogs in 2005 as a shortstop, and had quite the season. He would appear in 41 games, have numerous doubles, 12 RBIs, 20 runs, and 17 stolen bases in his year! Crawford ended his season with a .274 batting average with the MoonDogs, and would take his baseball career to UCLA, despite MLB teams already taking interest in him. MoonDogs coach; Jason Nell, expressed how Crawford was a game-changer, as he possessed fast speed and smooth defense.
Moving on from UCLA, Crawford was drafted in the 4th round to the Giants in 2008. He would make his great MLB debut in May of 2011, after spending less than 3 years in the minors. In his debut game, Crawford hit a winning grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers! He would continue to spend his time with the Giants from 2011-2023, and now with the St. Louis Cardinals for his 2024 season. And, did he sure rack up the awards! Crawford is ending his career with 4 golden gloves, 3 all-star appearances, 1 silver slugger, and 2 world series.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 350 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play