Rich Crane

Richard Seymore Crane

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• School Fresno State University

• Born November 4, 1968 in Hayward, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Rich Crane pitched three seasons in the minors.

Crane was 15-2 with a 3.30 ERA as a college sophomore in 1988, helping Fresno State University to the 1988 College World Series. He pitched eight innings of no-hit ball against the University of Miami but faded in the 11th and lost a pitching battle with Greg Knowles. He, John Salles and Erik Schullstrom all finished in the top 20 in NCAA Division I in wins, Crane tying Salles, Eric Stone, Kirk Dressendorfer and John Olerud for 5th. He was also 4th in IP (161) and tied Wally Trice and Dressendorfer for 14th in whiffs (134). Baseball America named him third-team All-American.

As a junior, he was 12-2 with a 2.95 ERA, making All-Big West Conference. That year, he was second-team All-American per Baseball America, joining Dressendorfer, Dave Fleming, Donovan Osborne and John DeSilva in being picked. He tied for 15th in Division I in wins. Despite two strong seasons in college in a row, he fell to the 62nd round of the 1989 amateur draft before being taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Only four other teams were even still making picks at that point.

Crane made his pro debut with the 1989 Great Falls Dodgers and was 3-0 with a save and a 3.33 ERA, striking out 25 in 24 1/3 IP, but also walking 21. With the 1990 Bakersfield Dodgers, he had a 3-3, 3.42 record with one save in 33 outings. Let go by LA, he signed with the unaffiliated Reno Silver Sox but had a woeful 1991 (1-1, 19 H, 15 BB, 19 R in 12 1/3 IP) to end his career. As a pro, he had been 7-4 with two saves and a 4.41 ERA in 59 games (9 starts), with 78 walks in 128 2/3 IP being the big problem.

Sources

• 1989-1990 Baseball Almanacs
• 1988 Orlando Sentinel