BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 105
CURRENT ADP: ~121 overall
ANALYSIS: Brandon Crawford has always been a wizard with the glove up the middle, but last season he really stepped things up with the bat for the NL West champion Giants. During the 2021 season, the veteran middle infielder was named to his third career All-Star team and finished fourth in NL MVP voting. He appeared in 138 games and posted a .373 OBP, 141 OPS+, 6.1 WAR, and .895 OPS.
Crawford struck out just 105 times and posted career bests with 30 doubles, 24 home runs, and 11 stolen bases. His career-highs at the plate were likely a product of him barreling up the ball a whole lot more. Crawford saw a 2.1% increase in his barrel percentage which led to an increase in his exit velocity and hard-hit percentage. He also posted his highest flyball rate (28.7%) since way back in 2014.
Additionally, Crawford was a more disciplined hitter, posting a career-high walk rate (10.2%) and his lowest strikeout (19.1%) and chase rates (27.9%) since his other MVP-esque season in 2016. It’s definitely fair to expect a bit of regression from the 35-year-old Crawford heading into this season. However, even with a bit of a decline, he should remain a relatively reliable middle infield option in the later rounds of drafts.
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