Crisp was with the Red Sox for three seasons. He will be remembered for breaking his thumb his first year, the fight with Tampa Bay pitcher James Shields, his ten-pitch at bat in the playoffs this year which ended up producing a run. He will also be remembered for his hustle, his defensive skills and his professionalism, especially when informed he'd be sharing his position with Jacoby Ellsbury.
This is what Coco had to say about the trade.
"I know my agent had told me there was a possible trade in the works within this week, and all that waiting and anticipating to see if it even happens kind of keeps you on edge," said Crisp, who was in California and found out about the deal at 7 a.m. PT. "When I finally got the news that I was going to Kansas City, it was exciting."
"It was a learning experience, definitely," Crisp said of his time in Boston. "I had a lot of fun. It's been a great experience for me coming from a contending team like Cleveland to a team that was already in the mix playoff-wise. I've learned on the field and off the field. It's helped me grow.
"The one negative aspect that came out of the whole thing was that I was plagued by nagging injuries, primarily the whole time I was there, with the exception of a month here or a month there and toward the end of this season, when I was fully healed from my hand injury, which I hurt within the first five games of coming over to Boston. It was an up-and-down ride. Most of the time, I enjoyed myself over there, even though it was difficult."
Even facing the prospect of going to the perennial cellar-dwelling Royals, Crisp was positive, professional and good-natured.
Goodbye, Coco Crisp. Your name may sound like a breakfast cereal, but I will always think of you as a consummate baseball player.
You will be missed.
