I even got an ‘unofficial farewell’ standing ovation… I’ll play next year.

Brandon Crawford, 36, is expected to extend his playing career, and all eyes will be on the outcome.

‘Crawford, who is now a free agent after 13 years with the San Francisco Giants, plans to play through 2024, according to his agent, Joel Wolf,’ Yahoo Sports reported on Aug. 8. Wolfe confirmed the news at the team’s general managers’ meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, and according to him, Crawford is receiving interest from several teams, some of which have asked him if he would be willing to leave the Giants.

Crawford broke into a San Francisco uniform as a fourth-round draft pick in 2008. He is a “one-club man,” having spent 13 years in a Giants uniform, debuting in the big leagues in 2011. He has had a stellar individual career, including three All-Star nods and four Gold Gloves. He helped San Francisco win the World Series in 2012 and 2014. His career batting average is .250 (5575-for-1392) with 146 home runs and 744 RBIs. His hitting took a nosedive last season. This year, he batted just .194 (283-for-55) in 93 games. It was the worst year of his career, and the possibility of ‘retirement’ emerged.

He was given a standing ovation by the home fans during a home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 2. Yahoo Sports reported, “San Francisco unofficially bid Crawford farewell in the 2023 season finale. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts but received several standing ovations from Giants fans. Crawford specializes in shortstop but is willing to play second or third base.

“A reunion between San Francisco and a franchise icon (Crawford) is a possibility,” Yahoo Sports reported, but “if Crawford does return to San Francisco, it likely won’t be as the starting shortstop. San Francisco plans to use Dominican Republic prospect Marco Luciano as its starting shortstop next season 아톰카지노.