Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "the Perfect Storm",[1][2] is an American former professional baseball left fielder.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.

So intent on capitalizing on this exposure, he was advised by coach Ansley to skip basketball his senior year to concentrate on baseball so that his knees would be fresh from the beginning of the season.

He had originally signed a letter of intent to play football for Nebraska, but he turned down both offers in favor of a baseball career.

Along with Juan Pierre, Crawford was co-winner of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum James "Cool Papa" Bell Legacy Award for 2003.

He was selected for the All Star Game, played in his hometown of Houston, and was named Devil Rays team MVP in 2004 by the BBWAA.

Crawford finished the season with career highs in batting average (.305) and home runs (18), joining Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby as the only players in Major League history to increase their batting average and home run totals every year for five straight years.

In the second half of the season, Crawford had a sore right wrist which had been bothering him for some time, and did not hit a home run for a period of 42 days.

The Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted Crawford the Most Valuable Player for the Rays in 2010.

[30] Through 2011, he had the third-best career fielding percentage (.990) among all active major league left fielders, behind Ryan Braun and Reed Johnson.

[31] However, on the last day of the regular season, his unsuccessful attempt to catch a ninth-inning line drive off the bat of Robert Andino was ruled a trap, allowing the Baltimore Orioles to walk off and completing Boston's historic nine-game September collapse that denied them a postseason berth.

[37] On August 23, 2012, Crawford underwent season-ending reconstructive Tommy John surgery to repair a chronic ulnar collateral tear in his left elbow.

[41] On August 25, 2012, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers (along with Josh Beckett, Adrián González, Nick Punto, and $11 million in cash) for James Loney, Iván DeJesús, Jr., Allen Webster, and two players to be named later (Jerry Sands and Rubby De La Rosa).

[42] Despite initial concerns that his injury would keep him out for the first part of the 2013 season as well, Crawford made his Dodger debut as the starting left fielder and lead off hitter on Opening Day 2013.

In 2013 with the Dodgers, missing almost one full month with a hamstring injury, he played in 116 games and hit .283/.329/.407 with 6 homers, 31 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.

[49] In a 2017 interview, Crawford said that he declined offers to try out with other major league teams after the Dodgers released him and was planning to retire when his final contract expired.

[51] Crawford was included on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2022 when it was announced on November 22, 2021; he did not receive any votes.

[66] On May 16, 2020, a five-year-old boy and 25-year-old woman drowned in the swimming pool during a party at Crawford's home in Harris County, Texas.

In early 2018, the label signed hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion, who quickly rose to fame with a string of hit songs.

In March 2020, several months after she signed a management deal with Roc Nation, Megan Thee Stallion sued 1501 Certified and Crawford, claiming they were blocking her from releasing music while refusing to renegotiate or terminate a contract she called "entirely unconscionable.

"[69] In an interview with Billboard magazine, Crawford denied wrongdoing, insisted the contract was generous for a new musical act, and characterized the lawsuit as an attempt by Roc Nation to intimidate him into renegotiating.