CSN Bay Area

Brandon Crawford will be the Giants' starting shortstop in 2015.

This much we know.

The two sides avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal on Tuesday, worth a reported $3.175 million.

He made $560,000 last season.

"You really applaud the journey that he has taken through the big leagues because he's gotten better every year," Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow said of Crawford on Wednesday morning. "69 RBIs -- that's an accomplishment. And the Giants are hoping that he can build on that."

San Francisco selected Crawford in the fourth round of the 2008 draft.

He made his big-league debut on May 27, 2011 and appeared in 66 games that season, hitting .204 with three home runs and 21 RBI.

Over 143 games in 2012, he hit .248 with four home runs and 45 RBI, and over 16 playoff games he hit .217 with seven walks and seven RBI.

In 2013, he batted .248 with nine home runs and 43 RBI over 149 games.

Last year, he hit .246 and registered 10 home runs and 69 RBI, and hit .246 with one home run, nine RBI and seven walks over 17 postseason games.

His biggest moment during the Giants' run to the 2014 World Series title came in the Wild Card game against Pittsburgh.

With the bases loaded and no outs in the Top of the 4th inning, Crawford became the first shortstop in MLB postseason history to hit a grand slam.

"He had some really big at-bats," Krukow continued. "I think what he did last year against left-handed pitching is why I believe that he's going to continue to get better offensively. I mean, he really has a nice opposite-field approach, which I liked about him the very first time I saw him when he was down in the minor leagues ... he's just a great player."

The 28-year old hit .320 against lefties and just .213 against right-handed pitching.

Despite the fact Crawford is known for being very good defensively, he did commit 21 errors -- the second most among NL shortstops.

"He's a guy that's so good with the glove, at times you take him for granted. But when you get a guy defensively as gifted as Crawford, it really shows up in the postseason. And I think that's what he has done the last two runs the Giants have had. He's been brilliant. I would expect that at some point, a long-term contract will follow."

Crawford still has two arbitration years remaining before unrestricted free agency, but he could strike a long-term deal before he hits the open market.

"He's one of our own," Krukow said. "When you think about his roots and where he comes from -- raised in the Bay Area and a huge Giants fan his whole life ... he just is part of the legacy that we are never going to forget. It's just a cool story ... I hope they can lock him up for a long time and he can be a Giant forever."