Sharks’ Outfielder Poised To Add Offensive Punch After Impressive Off-Season

David Crawford, a six-foot-one-inch outfielder at Miami Dade College, has Major League Baseball aspirations.

So far, the 21-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, has been scouted by the Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

This summer, he continued to sharpen his tools at the Florida Gulf Coast League—a summer collegiate baseball league that took place from June 11 to July 29—to improve his chances of being selected in the 2021 MLB draft. 

In 25 games with the Bradenton Mafia, Crawford had a league-best six home runs, posted a .403 batting average, scored 27 runs, and added 14 RBI. He was named the league’s Most Valuable Player and selected to the All-Star game.

After the impressive off-season, Crawford is returning to MDC for a second sophomore season. He is one of eight MDC players who opted to return after the National Junior College Athletic Association decided not to charge a year of eligibility to athletes who participated in the 2020 spring season that was cut short due to the coronavirus. 

“I just want to keep doing what I do and have fun playing baseball because it is the game that I love,” Crawford said.

His passion for the sport began when he was three as a little league shortstop at Riverdale Park in Georgia. He continued to excel at Mundy’s Mill High School in Jonesboro, Georgia. 

As a junior in 2017, he had his breakout season boasting a .511 batting average with 31 runs scored and 26 RBI. The following year, he scored a county-leading 41 runs to complement a .411 batting average and was stellar on the mound, flashing a 2.07 earned run average in 20 ⅓ innings. 

Crawford was voted Player of the Year for the South Atlanta region both years. His exploits garnered the attention of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, before he opted to attend MDC instead.

During his freshman season at MDC, he was second on the team with 36 runs scored and only made two errors in 45 games. But he struggled to hit consistently, posting a mediocre .236 batting average with 13 RBI. 

Crawford improved his numbers last year. Before the season was canceled in March, he was hitting .300 with 21 singles, eight RBI and five doubles through 20 games.

“He’s a teammate I can always count on,” said Sharks’ outfielder Ian Jenkins. “We talk about how to be a better outfielder and how to maintain a strong work ethic but I learn most when watching him fly around the outfield making great plays.” 

Crawford is banking on his defensive prowess and improved hitting to make his MLB dream a reality. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Rashad Crawford, who played minor league baseball for eight years, including his most recent assignment in 2019 with the New York Yankees’ Double-A affiliate the Trenton Thunder. 

“David has grown very much as a baseball player,” said Sharks’ Head Baseball Coach Adrian Morales. “His attitude toward the game of baseball will help him reach the next level.”