Alex Crosby was concerned.
During the offseason, the first baseman started experiencing symptoms similar to the ones that sidelined him for more than a month last season with the RailCats.
Lightheaded. Nauseated. Barely able to move.
“I actually went back to the doctor because I thought I had another episode,” Crosby said before Tuesday night’s game at the Steel Yard against Cleburne. “I wanted to find out what was going on, but still nothing. They never told me anything about it.
“The most they’ve done is give me vertigo pills. But I don’t feel like that’s even remotely close to what was going on.”
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The 24-year-old Crosby has had blood tests, and scans of his head and heart. Nothing has pinpointed the issue.
This time, it lasted a week.
“I got back into the swing of things,” Crosby said. “I don’t know what it is, but I try not to think about it.”
Manager Greg Tagert thought about the situation last season.
“We were worried about him,” Tagert said of Crosby, with the two sharing the same hometown of Vacaville, Calif. “We were trying to have him fly home or have his parents come out.”
Crosby was out from June 23 until July 26. When he returned, he was moved to atop the lineup from the middle of the order.
“We needed something out of that leadoff spot, we needed him to get acclimated, and we thought that was the best way to do it,” Tagert said. “For the last two weeks of the regular season and our brief postseason experience, he was our best player.”
Crosby finished 2017 batting .291 with three homers and 24 RBIs. He hit .333 with a homer and three RBIs in three playoff games against Wichita.
Crosby was batting .281 with two homers and 10 RBIs this season.
“I feel like I’ve done pretty well so far,” Crosby said. “I can draw more walks, but I can’t complain. But I always want to do better. There’s 70-something games left and I’m looking forward to growing every day.”
Crosby, the team’s longest-tenured player, has grown since appearing in 10 games late in 2015. When the following season arrived, he had no guarantees for a roster spot, especially with veteran Jeremy Hamilton ensconced at first.
But Crosby’s performance changed the plans.
“He was the best player in spring training,” Tagert said. “You look at it, when somebody forces their way on to the club, you can decide one of two things: You’re filled at the position so it doesn’t matter, or you go with the best possible player at the position for the club. Well, he was the best player in spring training.”
Crosby hit .293 with three homers and 44 RBIs in 2016, his first full season. He’s emerged as a player the RailCats view as an integral part of their foundation.
“With him and Alex Gunn, they’re the two examples I always give as what we’re trying to accomplish here,” Tagert said. “The only way we’re going to get to where we want to go — the championship level — is with guys like Crosby.
“Alex Crosby is becoming the player we thought he could be. He’s not as under the radar as he was, but he’s still a little bit because he’s a first baseman who doesn’t have big home run numbers. But, again, he plays in our ballpark.
“He’s not your prototypical leadoff hitter, but he battles every time he steps in that box, he’s a very good first baseman. He’s a good all-around player. There’s been several times I’ve been able to say he’s our best player. But like with a lot of young players, it’s the consistency level.”