J.P. Crawford's selfless offer to Mariners comes with a major question mark

J.P. Crawford is one of the better human beings to ever come through the Seattle Mariners organization. So, perhaps it isn't surprising that he is willing to give up the only position he's ever known in Seattle so that it can pass to the next generation.

Seemingly out of nowhere on Wednesday, word trickled out of T-Mobile Park that Crawford was taking ground balls at third base before the Mariners clinched a series win over the Chicago White Sox. Third base is, of course, not shortstop, where Crawford has been a mainstay since 2019.

Crawford's postgame explanation for his workout at the hot corner hit like a ton of bricks. He wants to be a Mariner for life, and ceding shortstop to Colt Emerson is "the best way to do it." And then he aimed right for the feels in talking about how he wants to follow the leadership examples of Kyle Seager and Dee Strange-Gordon.

This is incredible to hear from any player, much less a 31-year-old who has more than earned the right to be a little selfish. And the willingness to play third base could indeed be a boon for the Mariners, if for no other reason than the 20-year-old Emerson is clearly the better shortstop right now.

The question is whether J.P. Crawford has the arm to play third base for the Mariners

On paper, the move could work precisely because third base is a better place for Crawford at this stage of his career. The 2020 Gold Glover's defensive ratings at shortstop have slipped largely because his range is not what it once was, a reality reinforced by some painful plays in the field this year. Mercifully, third basemen simply don't need to cover as much ground.

But what about his arm strength?

It looked like a real problem as soon as he came off the injured list following trouble with his throwing shoulder in spring training. And as of now, his average throw of 77.5 mph is second-worst among qualified shortstops. That's bad…but that same throwing speed would also rank last among qualified third basemen.

This doesn't necessarily need to be a deal-breaker. The ceiling for third base throwing strength doesn't go as high as it does for shortstops. The ball gets on third basemen faster, so the emphasis is more so on quick actions and accuracy over speed on throws.

To the eye test, though, accuracy is another thing that Crawford has struggled with on throws this season. Especially, it seems, on plays when he's had to rush to get a throw off.

Look, we don't have a better idea. Emerson is the best bet the Mariners have at shortstop, and Cole Young is too good at second base to consider moving elsewhere. And as iffy as Crawford is as a hypothetical third baseman, Brendan Donovan was no prize at the hot corner before he got hurt.

So by all means, move forward with this experiment. Living with it just might mean having to accept it isn't a smashing success.

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