Paxton Crawford

From SoSH

Paxton Crawford, 28 year old right handed pitcher, is no longer in Major League Baseball and is at home working on a farm.

Contents 1 Paxton's Brief Career* 2 Steroid Use 3 Trivia 4 Transactions 5 External Links

Paxton's Brief Career*

Paxton Crawford, born August 4, 1977, was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 9th round of the 1995 draft. Five years later Crawford made his Major League debut for the Sox and over his only two Major League seasons posted a 5-1 record with 4.15 ERA. Rumor was that Crawford was going to get called up by the Red Sox again in 2002, however before that happened Crawford had an incident in a hotel room with a water glass. The offical story is that he was sleeping in the hotel and fell out of bed onto a water glass. He lost around two pints of blood and his career never recovered.

Crawford was a highly touted Sox pitching prospect until his quick exit from the sport. He was released by the Red Sox later that year in October and resigned by the Oakland A's March 10, 2003. He was released only 8 days later. In 2004 Crawford signed on with the Reds but was released following the season with no Major League games.

Steroid Use

In June 2006, Crawford stated in ESPN The Magazine that he had used the steroid Deca, Winstrol and Human Growth Hormone, or HGH, while he was with the Red Sox. He was given the drug by a teammate from the 2001 team and stated it was common for guys to use it. It helped him recover quickly from his starts and helped add some bulk. According to Crawford, everyone was doing it in MLB so he didn't seem concerned about it.

"When I started using, I noticed my fastball jumped from 92-93 to 95-96 mph. But the biggest change for me was consistency. My breaking pitches had more velocity and sharper break."

``That was the big thing with pitchers -- a combo of Winny and Deca," he told ESPN The Magazine. ``Winny would improve your fast-twitch muscles and help you gain velocity. Deca, which is oil-based, would keep your tendons and joints lubed up and make you feel better the next morning."

Crawford does however blame his back problems, which forced him out of Major League Baseball, on his steroid use.

Trivia

• Crawford threw a no-hitter for the Pawtucket Red Sox.
• In August 2004, Crawford was suspended for 15 days for violating the league's alcohol and drug abuse policy while playing for the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Double A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

Transactions

• June 1, 1995: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 9th round of the 1995 amateur draft. Player signed June 6, 1995.
• October 15, 2002: Granted Free Agency.
• March 10, 2003: Signed as a Free Agent with the Oakland Athletics.
• March 18, 2003: Released by the Oakland Athletics.
• February 11, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds.
• October 15, 2004: Granted Free Agency.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis