Giants: Is Brandon Crawford Being Overlooked in 2017?

Brandon Crawford is coming off solid back to back fantasy seasons with the Giants. But, is he being overlooked in fantasy circles this season?

The Giants were not able to continue their even year magic in 2016, but that was no fault of Brandon Crawford. He is well-known for his defensive wizardry, but over the last two seasons, the bat has come around as well. But, are fantasy owners not giving him his just due?

Brandon Crawford made his way to the big leagues on the strength of his defense. He is one of if not the, smoothest defenders at short and no one will question his prowess. But, the bat came along more slowly and it was not until the 2015 season where he would climb onto fantasy owners radar.

He finished the 2015 season with a .256/21 HR/84 RBI/.782 OPS line. Fantasy owners loved the power numbers and he became a popular later round target heading into 2016. For his encore performance, he posted a .275/12 HR/84 RBI/.772 OPS line. The power was down, but he offset that with a 19 point jump in his AVG while maintaining the RBI numbers.

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The homer dip was feared after his power breakout in 2015, as the 21 HR were more than doubled his career high. The 12 HR in 2016 were more in line with his career norms, but that does not mean he did not hit the ball with authority last season.

Crawford notched 11 triples in 2016, along with 28 doubles. He split gaps with ease, which is a necessity when playing his home games at AT & T Park. He did not match his 58 XBH total of 2016, but 51 XBH last season are not too shabby.  The Giants did not exactly have a powerhouse offense last season, but it is impressive to see Crawford match his career high 84 RBI total nonetheless.

Another impressive aspect of his performance last season was that his batted profile looked even better than it did in 2015. He posted a 21% LD, 43% GB, 36% FB, 48% Med, and 35% Hard contact rates in 2016. Compared to his 2015 totals, he increased his LD, FB, and Hard contact by 3% and dropped his GB rate by nearly 4%. His HR/FB rate dropped no doubt, but it was not as though he was not squaring the ball up.

Crawford was also able to cut his K rate down to 19% while raising his BB rate to 9%, and raised his Contact rate to 75%. The power may have dropped off, but he looked much more polished at the plate.

Heading into 2017, owners should expect Crawford to post a line that falls somewhere in between his previous two stat lines. His .275 AVG last season is more than likely his ceiling based on his career totals. He is becoming more refined at the plate, so he should stay over the .260 mark in 2017.

The 21 HR performance in 2015 should also be seen as the upside, as once again it is hard to bank on another surge such as that. But, one would have to think that a few of those triples will turn into HR, allowing him to at least reach the 15 HR mark in 2017.

He looks suited to bat in the middle again for the Giants order with Brandon Belt, Buster Posey and hopefully a healthy Hunter Pence in front of him, so the RBI totals should be safe yet again.

Early ADP numbers are always hard to trust, but Crawford is currently being taken as the 20th fantasy SS. The position has a ton of talent compared to years past. But, for a player that has not played in less than 143 games the last five seasons, is coming off two career-best offensive performances and has the peripherals to back up his success, that ranking is too low. He is easily a top-15 option at the position.

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Brandon Crawford will make the nightly highlight reels thanks to his gloves. Yet, he quietly has improved his stroke and offensive game, and fantasy owners should take notice. His current draft price seems like a bargain and astute owners will gladly invest in him as a quality MI option or even starting SS in deeper leagues. Do not make the mistake of overlooking him in 2017.