Willie Crawford, 57; Was L.A. Dodger for 12 Years

Willie Crawford, the former outfielder for the Dodgers whom longtime manager Tommy Lasorda described as “one of the greatest athletes� to come out of Los Angeles, has died. He was 57.

Crawford died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Dodgers said. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Crawford, who was born in Los Angeles, spent the first 12 seasons of his 14-year major league career with the Dodgers, stroking a pinch-hit single in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series against Minnesota at age 19.

Crawford’s most productive season came in 1973, when he hit .295 with 14 homers and 66 runs batted in as a platoon player. But his biggest moment came a year later, when he homered in the World Series against Oakland.

“He was big and powerful, and he could hit a ball as far as anybody,� Lasorda said of Crawford, a career .268 hitter who collected most of his 86 homers and 419 RBIs while with the Dodgers from 1964-75. “Boy, was he something.�

Lasorda signed Crawford two days after his graduation from Fremont High, where Crawford was a standout in baseball, football and track. Crawford won All-City honors in baseball and football and ran the 100-yard dash in 9.7 seconds. He also competed in the long jump.

“He could have gone on to college and been one of the true great football players,� Lasorda said. “He had so much ability. He was loaded.�

Lasorda said that all 20 major league teams were interested in the left-handed-hitting Crawford as he was coming out of high school. But he signed with the Dodgers for $100,000, a large sum for a player then.

Before the free-agent draft took effect in 1965, “bonus babies� who signed large contracts were kept on major league rosters for a full season to prevent the club from losing the player to another team.

The “bonus baby� rule hampered the development of some players, including Crawford. The 19-year-old Crawford got a World Series ring for being on the Dodger roster in 1965, but he batted only 16 times, collecting five hits. In his first four seasons as a Dodger, he played in 72 games.

Crawford was finished as a major league player at age 30 after spending his final two seasons with St. Louis, Houston and Oakland.

Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 7 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.