Carl Crawford started his rookie campaign in the shadows of Rocco Badelli. But, it was in the second half of 2003 he really showed improvement. Carl is the Lou Piniella poster boy as he is really the one who has really developed under Piniella's watch. He hit most of 2004 with the .300 batting average but finished the year just a tad below that mark. He has shown decent power in the leadoff role, but his walk totals are a concern. With Alomar being brought in who has throughout his career has shown good OBP, it will be interesting to see if Carl remains in this role. However, this statement by Crawford shows me that he is driven to become a complete hitter who understands he must get on base.
CC plans on taking his game up a notch for the upcoming season. If he continues to improve, there is no telling what he is capable of. An All-star last season, he really is the star of this organization. Its time to start on a long term contract. He will be asked to play CF this season with Baldelli out. He played alot of CF in the minors, so this will be no problem for him.