Paxton Crawford
| IP | 65 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.154 |
| WHIP | 1.4 |
| BB/9 | 3.6 |
| SO/9 | 5.815 |
- Full name Paxton Keith Crawford
- Born 08/04/1977 in North Little Rock, AR
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Carlsbad
- Debut 07/01/2000
- Drafted in the 9th round (242nd overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 1995.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Crawford had trouble regaining his stuff after straining his forearm and breaking his wrist in 1998, but it finally came back in 2000. Crawford earned his first major league win in July, then threw a Triple-A no-hitter in a temporary demotion. The night after his gem, he fell out of bed and onto a glass, requiring eight stitches in his back and delaying his return to Boston until September. Crawford has solid average stuff with a two-seam fastball, slider and changeup. He succeeds with his fastball because it has good sink and his delivery makes it tough to pick up. He works quickly, is durable and throws strikes. Crawford sometimes falls into a power-pitcher mentality, which causes his slider to flatten out. The only pitch he has that has a chance to be above average is his changeup. Crawford is about as good as he's going to be. He projects as a No. 4 or 5 starter in the majors, and the Red Sox will give him the chance to fill that role in spring training.
Minor League Top Prospects
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It took more than two seasons, but Crawford finally graduated from the EL. He didn’t stop in Triple-A either, as he also pitched effectively in Boston. Crawford showed extraordinary command with Trenton, walking just six batters in 52 innings. He has a solid fastball that’s tough to pick up because of his funky delivery, though his key pitch may be his changeup. "He has an outstanding changeup and that makes his fastball better. That changeup has a real good drop at the plate," Trenton manager Billy Gardner Jr. said. "He's a workhorse, very durable. He's going to give you a lot of innings." Said Sisson: "His velocity is above average and he has a pretty good breaking ball, and he throws strikes. But, that big strong body—same thing with Baez—nowadays if you can run a guy out there and he can give 200 innings a year, those guys are worth their weight in gold. And Crawford looks like he can be one of those guys."
Best Tools List
- Rated Best Control in the Boston Red Sox in 2001
Scouting Reports
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It took more than two seasons, but Crawford finally graduated from the EL. He didn’t stop in Triple-A either, as he also pitched effectively in Boston. Crawford showed extraordinary command with Trenton, walking just six batters in 52 innings. He has a solid fastball that’s tough to pick up because of his funky delivery, though his key pitch may be his changeup. "He has an outstanding changeup and that makes his fastball better. That changeup has a real good drop at the plate," Trenton manager Billy Gardner Jr. said. "He's a workhorse, very durable. He's going to give you a lot of innings." Said Sisson: "His velocity is above average and he has a pretty good breaking ball, and he throws strikes. But, that big strong body—same thing with Baez—nowadays if you can run a guy out there and he can give 200 innings a year, those guys are worth their weight in gold. And Crawford looks like he can be one of those guys."
