Jonathon Neal Crawford (born November 1, 1991) is an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
for the
Staten Island FerryHawks
The Staten Island FerryHawks are an American minor-league professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Staten Island. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner leag ...
of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously been a member of the
Detroit Tigers and
Cincinnati Reds organizations.
Career
Crawford attended
Okeechobee High School
Okeechobee High School is a public high school for grades 9–12 in Okeechobee County, Florida, United States.
The school belongs to the Okeechobee County School District.
Notable alumni
* Gene Harris, former MLB player (Montreal Expos, Seattle ...
in
Okeechobee, Florida
Okeechobee ( ) is a city in south-central Florida and is the county seat of Okeechobee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 5,254. It is the county seat of Okeechobee County. The Lake Okee ...
. He then enrolled at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
, where he played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
for the
Florida Gators. On June 1, 2012 he threw a
no-hitter against
Bethune-Cookman. In the summer of 2012, he played for the
United States collegiate national team. In his three years at Florida, he went 9–8 with a 3.51
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) with 146
strikeouts
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
.
Detroit Tigers
The
Detroit Tigers drafted Crawford in the first round of the
2013 Major League Baseball draft
The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Each team received one selection per round, going in ...
. He signed on June 14, 2013. Crawford made his professional debut that season with the
Connecticut Tigers
The Norwich Sea Unicorns are a baseball team located in Norwich, Connecticut. From 2010 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They play th ...
. He finished the year with a 1.89 ERA over eight starts. In 2014, Crawford pitched for the
West Michigan Whitecaps
The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpa ...
. He started 23 games, going 8–3 with a 2.85 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 123 innings.
Cincinnati Reds
On December 11, 2014, the Tigers traded Crawford and
Eugenio Suárez
Eugenio Alejandro Suárez (born July 18, 1991) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. Suárez was an All-Star in 2 ...
to the
Cincinnati Reds for
Alfredo Simón
Alfredo Simón Cabrera, also known as The Big Pasta, (born May 8, 1981) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. From 2001 thr ...
. He began 2015 on the disabled list before beginning to rehab with the
AZL Reds in late June, pitching three games for them. He then pitched two games for the
Daytona Tortugas
The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark; opened in ...
, giving up five runs in 5.1 innings, but was placed on the disabled list again, and missed the remainder of the season. In 2016, Crawford once again began the season on the disabled list, and did not begin rehabbing in the AZL until June. He returned to Daytona in August and spent the last half of the season there, pitching to a 1–3 record and 6.35 ERA in six starts. He spent 2017 back with Daytona where he was 0–10 with a 5.65 ERA ad 1.96 WHIP in 22 starts. On November 4, 2019, he elected free agency.
Team Texas
In July 2020, Crawford signed on to play for Team Texas of the
Constellation Energy League
The Constellation Energy League was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas during 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting travel, and as a way to create opportunities for minor league players.
History
The league consisted of ...
(a makeshift 4-team independent league created as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
) for the 2020 season.
Chicago Dogs
On April 1, 2021, Crawford signed with the
Chicago Dogs
The Chicago Dogs are an independent professional baseball team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. They began play in 2018 and p ...
of the
American Association of Professional Baseball
The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...
. Crawford struggled to a 9.36 ERA in 14 appearances with the Dogs and was released on July 19.
High Point Rockers
On August 7, 2021, Crawford signed with the
High Point Rockers
The High Point Rockers are an American professional baseball team based at Truist Point ballpark in High Point, North Carolina, which is part of the Piedmont Triad region. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Profession ...
of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 21 games down the stretch, he posted a 4-0 record and 2.70 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 23.1 innings pitched. He became a free agent following the season.
On April 8, 2022, Crawford re-signed with the Rockers for the 2022 season. Crawford made 29 appearances for the Rockers, pitching to a 4.82 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 28.0 innings of work before he was released on August 8. On April 6, 2023, Crawford re-signed with the Rockers.
Staten Island FerryHawks
On April 28, 2023, Crawford signed with the
Staten Island FerryHawks
The Staten Island FerryHawks are an American minor-league professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Staten Island. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner leag ...
of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Personal life
Crawford's brother,
Kutter, is also a professional baseball player and made his MLB debut in 2021 with the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
.
References
External links
Florida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Jonathon
1991 births
Living people
Baseball players from Florida
Florida Gators baseball players
Connecticut Tigers players
West Michigan Whitecaps players
High Point Rockers players
People from Okeechobee, Florida