Alarming J.P. Crawford stat won't silence Mariners fans' calls for Colt Emerson

When it comes to polarizing players in recent Mariners history, we wouldn't put J.P. Crawford on the same level as a Randy Arozarena or a Jarred Kelenic. However, he's still been a source for fluctuating opinions during his time in Seattle, with us now at a point where the critics have more ammunition than ever.

The problem is that Crawford has not always produced on a consistent basis, with this best highlighted by following up his career year in 2023 with his worst ever in 2024. And now, following the second-best season of his career last year, he's trending downwards worse than ever and the vultures are circling.

This is more than likely Crawford's final season in Seattle, but he's stressed he's more focused on helping the Mariners win a World Series rather than his future. However, the pressure is building, some of it outside of his control but some also of his own doing.

Colt Emerson's shadow looms large over J.P. Crawford

It's no secret that Colt Emerson is seen as the long-term successor at shortstop, but president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has claimed Crawford will remain at the position this season. However, with Emerson recently signing his eight-year, $95 million deal, it now feels as if the situation has become untenable and Dipoto will have a hard time keeping his promise to Crawford.

For his part, the 31-year-old has been nothing but supportive of Emerson and is excited for him to be called up, flying in the face of the unnecessary and untrue claims that he's selfish. Still, you do have to wonder how long he can keep hold of his grip on the shortstop position, just based on how he's played so far this season.

The evidence has been there for a while now that Crawford has been a declining defensive commodity, highlighted last year by being tied with Bo Bichette as the worst shortstop in the majors based on Outs Above Average. He does still move well, but his defensive issues haven't been helped by his declining arm strength.

Last year the Long Beach, California native's arm strength declined by 3.6 mph on average relative to 2024 and now it's even worse, with a 79.6 mph average in 2025 but a 77.9 mph maximum this season. We appreciate that he's working back from a right shoulder injury, but that's also the scary part when considering that his arm strength was already in decline.

Mariners facing an awkward situation with J.P. Crawford

Arozarena and Brendan Donovan have arguably been the two biggest culprits on the defensive side for the Mariners, but the reality is Crawford hasn't impressed much either. In addition, while those two have done well at the plate, he's only hitting .118 with a .462 OPS and 43 OPS+, with the overall result being that he's a -0.1 bWAR player heading into the four-game home series against the Astros.

As things stand, we're not sure how effective Crawford can continue to be at shortstop, but what's the solution? We're pretty sure Dipoto won't trade him as he's a leader and one of the most popular players in the clubhouse, with the potential for a negative impact akin to when Paul Sewald was moved at the end of July in 2023.

Another option is to move the 2013 16th overall draft pick from shortstop to somewhere like third base, thus opening the door for Emerson's call up. However, as much as Donovan has struggled at the hot corner, where does he go then? As much as he's renowned as a tremendous utility player and consummate teammate, do you really want to keep moving him around and by extension risk upsetting his offensive rhythm?

This whole situation just has the potential to be extremely awkward, so really what the Mariners need is for Crawford to find a way to pull it all together and start playing better. Otherwise, no matter how admirable Dipoto's loyalty is to him, it can only go so far if he's compromising the team's ability to win on a consistent basis.