in praise of J.P. Crawford, the Mariners’ Ghost-Star

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Crawford’s laid-back, West Coast cool, with his reggae walkup songs and style of play—always making the plays but never looking like he was actually exerting himself to do so, gross—would have been an interesting counterpoint to Fernando Tatís Jr.’s high-energy, extreme-athleticism style. Probably J.P. wouldn’t have hit a bomb in the All-Star Game; maybe he wouldn’t have gotten a ball out of the infield against Yu Darvish and Brandon Woodruff and co. But Mariners fans who have been watching him these past few seasons know he would have done something, because J.P. has a knack for big moments and isn’t shy of the spotlight. Maybe that thing would have been getting on base via a walk and letting one of the bajillion big boppers elected to the ASG drive him in with a bomb; or getting on base when an infielder was slow on picking up a ball and tossing to an unfamiliar first baseman, then stealing second and using his plus speed to lope home on a single. Almost definitely he’d make an impact play on defense, because that’s what J.P. does. But none of that will happen, because baseball has settled on a vision of itself, a branding that excludes players like J.P., even as Seattle baseball fans witness day in and day out how valuable a player like that can be.



But hey. Even if All-Star voters and MLB itself don’t appreciate J.P.’s skillset, Mariners fans sure do. Nothing but respect for my All-Star.

www.lookoutlanding.com/2021/7/7/22563722/j-p-crawford-is-an-all-star-no-matter-what-anyone-says