Chad Courrier: Granderson, Crawford used Mankato as step to greatness

Jun. 2—Got to thinking the other day, as the Mankato MoonDogs' opener approached and the organization prepared to retire Curtis Granderson's No. 28 jersey ... who is the most accomplished former Mankato Northwoods League player?

Granderson is certainly in that conversation. Brandon Crawford is probably the other option.

Granderson was a gifted outfielder for the Mankato Mashers in 2001, one of the first players to come to town for summer ball that had a professional look to him.

He batted .328 in 44 games, with eight doubles, two triples, one home run, 17 RBIs, 28 runs scored and 15 stolen bases. He always seemed to be smiling, which again was the case Monday when his No. 28 was retired by the Mankato MoonDogs.

He made his way to the majors with Detroit in 2004, and he spent 16 seasons in the big leagues, also playing for the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers and Miami Marlins.

He had a career batting average of .249 with 344 home runs and 937 RBIs. He was a three-time All-Star, and three times he was in the top 20 of voting for Most Valuable Player of his league.

His best season came with the Yankees in 2011, when he was the first player in MLB history to hit 10 triples and 40 home runs and steal 25 bases. He finished fourth in the voting for American League Most Valuable Player Award.

When Crawford arrived in Mankato in 2005, you just knew he was destined for the majors, even though he was straight out of high school and had yet to attend UCLA. At the time, he was the youngest player in MoonDogs' history, but he was already slick with the glove.

He played in 41 games for the MoonDogs, with a .274 batting average with nine doubles, 12 RBIs, 20 runs scored and 17 stolen bases.

By 2011, he was the starting shortstop for the San Francisco Giants, and 13 seasons later, he's still the starting shortstop.

He has batted .252 in his career, with 143 home runs and 719 RBIs.

He's been a three-time All-Star and twice played on World Series winners. He has three Gold Gloves for his defense, and twice he was in the top 15 for National League Most Valuable Player voting.

Granderson and Crawford weren't the most impressive players to wear the MoonDogs' uniform.

The MoonDogs have had five Northwoods League MVPs: Carlos Ramirez (2008), Shaun Cooper (2011), Jake Shepski (2016), Matt Higgins (2021) and Sean Ross (2022).

Tim Griffin pitched a no-hitter in 2009, Reid Fronk hit for the cycle in 2009, Shaun Cooper hit three home runs in a 2011 game and 20 that season, and Toby Hanson had a 21-game hitting streak in 2017.

Bur Granderson and Crawford were clearly different, which is why one jersey has been retired and the other will be.

They took their experience in the Northwoods League and used that as a stepping stone to MLB greatness.

Chad Courrier is the Free Press sports editor. He's at 507-344-6353, ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com or on Twitter @ChadCourrier.