Crawford\u2019s slump in August put the spotlight on his glove. It was clear that defense was no longer a carrying trait but a limiting one. He posted -11 OAA in 2025, making him the worst defensive shortstop in MLB (or tied for the distinction with Bo Bichette). He specifically struggled going to his right and making the long throw across the infield. Crawford turned 31 today. It\u2019s unlikely his range will ever return.<\/p>\n The directive for 2026 is quite different since Crawford\u2019s first 40 in 40<\/a> seven years ago. He\u2019s no longer a young player on a bad team with a good enough glove to justify unlimited at bats. He\u2019s now an old player on a good team with a bad enough glove to require results at the plate. He\u2019ll be a free agent at the end of the year, and the team seems eager to gauge his replacements. The starting shortstop job is not his in the outlook, as it\u2019s been for most of the decade, but his for just this moment. Somebody else will be our shortstop soon.<\/p>\n The Mariners are celebrating their 50th season in 2026. They\u2019re asking you to remember some guys<\/a>. I\u2019ve been thinking about what Crawford\u2019s legacy with org will be, if this is truly the beginning of his final chapter. He\u2019s 10th all time in plate appearances in Seattle, needing 610 to pass Raul Ibanez for ninth. He\u2019s 13th in fWAR, needing 3 1\/2 to climb into the top 10 over Bret Boone, Mike Cameron and Robinson Can\u00f3. In other words, Crawford is not an inner circle Mariners\u2019 legend, but he\u2019s firmly established himself as one of the Next Best.<\/p>\n Perhaps the strongest case for Crawford\u2019s legacy in Seattle is his performance in big moments. It\u2019s been historic. His 146 wRC+ in high leverage situations is tied for ninth all time (or at least ninth since Fangraphs began tracking<\/a> in 2002):<\/p>\n Joe Votto – 168Shoehei Ohtani – 168Chipper Jones Jr. – 163Albert Pujols – 155Ryan Howard – 154Vladimir Guerrero – 151Lance Berkman – 148Miguel Cabrera – 147Gary Sheffield – 146Mike Trout – 146J.P. Crawford – 146<\/p>\n Fangraphs splits leverage into three categories: low, medium and high. \u201cLeverage\u201d is determined by a rather complicated formula that captures what\u2019s at stake in at bat, given the inning, score, situation, etc. Basically, it\u2019s a measure of how \u201ccrucial\u201d the at bat is to the outcome of the game.<\/p>\n We can see Crawford is generally at his best when the leverage index is at its highest.<\/p>\n The literature on \u201cclutch\u201d performance is mixed and goes back further than even Fangraphs\u2019 leaderboards. It\u2019s a subject controversial enough that my hands are sweating as I type this graf. Some analysts are certain \u201cclutch\u201d is a myth. It\u2019s not something most players repeat from year-to-year, and any outsized (or undersized) performance in high-leverage situations is simply a feature of small samples and \u201cluck.\u201d Some analysts counter by pointing to a subset of players whose performance does seem to change with leverage, arguing we could observe the trait if only the samples were larger. After all, a lack of evidence is evidence of nothing. Some analysts scoff at the premise entirely, as the stakes of a moment are subjective to the inner machinations<\/a> of the batter. How can we measure performance under pressure if we can\u2019t objectively define it? I\u2019m not going to solve this today, but just know I hold the correct opinion, whatever that may be.<\/p>\n While I\u2019m not willing to take a stance on \u201cclutch,\u201d I do think Crawford\u2019s skillset is well suited to leverage. Crawford, no matter the situation, has been one of MLB\u2019s most selective batters since he entered the league, ranking among the top 10% by a variety of pitch-selection metrics. Pitchers are less likely (or less able) to throw pitches in the zone under pressure. In fact, we can see that Crawford\u2019s exceptional ability to \u201ccontrol the zone\u201d has only improved with more on the line.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rplot.png\"\/)
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