Hot Corner J.P? Crawford Aims to Prolong Mariners’ Career With Position Change

Colt Emerson is in the big leagues, hopefully to stay as a centerpiece for the Seattle Mariners. He’s a hotshot 20-year-old shortstop who bats left, throws right, and stands about six feet tall, coming to the show as one of the top prospects in the sport.

Interestingly, that’s exactly how you could’ve described J.P. Crawford when he debuted with the Philadelphia Phillies a decade ago. Back in 2016, MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball and seemed like the next big thing at shortstop.

It wasn’t a linear climb for Crawford, however. In Philadelphia, he never realized that potential and fell out of favor with that front office. After the 2018 season, he was traded by the Phillies with Carlos Santana to the Seattle Mariners for Juan Nicasio, James Pazos, and Jean Segura.

It wasn’t an immediate success in Seattle, either. In parts of two seasons, he batted .237 with a .680 OPS and below average 88 OPS+. However, he won his first career Gold Glove at shortstop in 2020. 2021 is where things began to click for Crawford in a Mariners uniform, collecting 169 hits and posting 3.7 WAR. From there, he has been the franchise’s staple at shortstop.

Now in his age 31 season, Crawford is playing on an expiring contract at the end of the year. Most assume that Emerson, basically Seattle’s version of Crawford as a young rookie, will take Crawford’s spot at shortstop in 2027 and Crawford will move on.

However, people assuming that may have underestimated how much Crawford wants to stay in Seattle beyond 2026, even if that means moving off of shortstop, where his diminishing range has become a point of contention for fans. Reports came out this week that Crawford is putting in some pregame work at third base.

"I want to be a Mariner for life and I think that's the best way to do it."

JP Crawford talks about his willingness to move to 3rd base. He credits the leader he is today to Kyle Seager and Dee Gordon. pic.twitter.com/wgAsoiQEKx— KING 5 Sports (@KING5Sports) May 21, 2026

That doesn’t sound like a player who wants to leave town to play shortstop elsewhere.

‍In fact, at this stage in his career, playing shortstop may no longer be tenable for Crawford. Backing up the frustration of fans, his defensive metrics have taken a nosedive. He currently has a -7 Outs Above Average, which is dead last among all shortstops. His arm strength ranks in the 17th percentile. At this point, a move away from shortstop might be what prolongs his career regardless of where he plays.

Transitioning Crawford to third base would allow Emerson to play his natural spot at shortstop as he gets his sea legs in the big leagues. The Mariners’ everyday third baseman to this point this season has been Brendan Donovan, who is currently on the injured list nursing a groin injury. At least for the time being, it will either need to be Emerson, Crawford, Patrick Wisdom, or Leo Rivas manning the hot corner.

‍Crawford has not started the last two games but appeared late as a pinch hitter in their loss on Tuesday. It stemmed from him getting hit by pitches in back-to-back games Sunday and Monday.

‍It should be noted that giving third base a shot was Crawford’s idea originally, not the Mariners forcing the issue.

Will we see Crawford play third base in Kansas City this weekend? That doesn’t seem likely. Taking grounders before the game at a different position is something that doesn’t always enact an immediate position change. At this moment, it appears to be experimental.

What it could mean? Hoping to continue his career where his feet currently are, Crawford is willing to move to third base and re-sign with the Mariners at the end of the season.

Given his 111 OPS+ (11% better than league average) right now, and the veteran leadership he displays on and off the field, it seems smart to try and keep Crawford in the organization beyond 2026 if possible. With Emerson now a big leaguer, shifting to the hot corner could be the only way to make it happen.