The Red Sox did not just commit $142 million to Carl Crawford because of what he can do when performing to the best of the abilities. The team’s faith in the outfielder was also a product of how he handles adversity, and the process he has in place to deal with slumps such as the one that has characterized the start of his Boston tenure.

Crawford is a creature of tireless routine. When the Sox scouted him over the second half of last season, much of their attention was paid to what he does before the game and how he prepares himself on a day-to-day basis so that he might maximize his considerable natural gifts.

Yes, Crawford is a rare five-tool talent with transcendent natural athleticism. But before committing to him for seven years, the Sox needed to see that the outfielder would do everything in his power to stay on the field and excel for the term of the contract.

And on those fronts, the team discovered that Crawford leaves nothing to chance. As a member of the Rays, he established a reputation as one of the hardest workers in the game, something that helped to cement the Sox’ interest in him.

Rays third base coach Tom Foley, who has been a member of Tampa Bay’s coaching staff since Crawford broke into the majors, described the outfielder’s work ethic as “off the charts,” noting that he’s the first player to arrive to the ballpark everyday starting in spring training, and that he “never skipped a day” of his workouts.

“This guy didn’t become a real, real good ballplayer just by talent alone. He’s done the right stuff to make him who he is today,” said Foley. “It’s been documented what he does in the offseason, then he maintains it during the season.”

It takes little to understand what Foley is talking about. By the time most players drift into a clubhouse three or four hours before a game, Crawford is almost invariably drenched in sweat as a result of the work that he has already completed. 

Crawford tries to arrive in a clubhouse two hours before batting practice so that he can complete a full complement of early work: stretching, time in the batting cage, time running on the field. Where most players define their object as getting ready for the game, Crawford says that he wants to be ready for batting practice.

“I’ve got to get here super early, man,” said Crawford. “I’ve always been like that. I just like to get here early so I can work at my own pace, so I don’t have to rush through all that stuff.

“[It’s] maintenance work to keep you right,” he added. “Without all that stuff, you wouldn’t have a chance that day.”

Crawford’s faith in his day-to-day process serves as ballast at a time when his results have fallen short of his hopes and expectations for the start of his Red Sox career.

The 29-year-old could not have endured a much worse stretch of 11 games after his nine-figure contract threw him into the spotlight this offseason. Crawford is hitting .152 with a .204 OBP and .378 OPS. He has just one extra-base hit (a double on Monday), he has yet to walk in his five games as a leadoff hitter and, overall, he has made little discernible offensive impact.

The results for the four-time All-Star have borne little resemblance to a 2010 campaign in which Crawford earned the Silver Slugger award as the top offensive left fielder in the game (.307 average, .356 OBP, and career highs in slugging (.495), OPS (.851), homers (19) and RBI (90)). But so long as he has his pregame routine in place, he remains confident that the results will follow.

“It’s important because it tells you everything is alright if you just keep sticking with it. You’ve just got to stick with it, good or bad,” Crawford said of his routine. “It brings consistency to your game. That’s what my game is about – consistency. That’s why, no matter what, good or bad, you stick to that routine.

“It’s part of your everyday life – just like you’ve got to take a shower everyday, go home, smell good. Same thing,” added Crawford. “If you want to be good on the field, you’ve got to have that routine, get your head in the game. That’s my whole thing. I’ve got God-given talent. I just want to get the most out of it. I realized that at a young age. I do whatever I can to get whatever is in me out.”

That approach is part of what made Crawford one of the highest paid players in the game. And it is part of why members of both the Sox and Rays expect that it is only a matter of time before he achieves success with his new club.

“Despite the slow start, he’s going to be just fine. Don’t worry about Carl. He’s going to figure it out up here,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said on the Big Show on Wednesday. “He works as hard as anybody. … Once he gets his feet on the ground, once he catches his breath, gets used to being here, he’s going to be just fine.”

At the least, the Sox need not have any reservations that they flushed $20 million a year on a player who will accept failure. To the contrary, as eager as the team is to see better results from any number of players on its roster – Crawford among them – there is no apparent need for the Sox to concern themselves with the process being followed by their much-scrutinized new outfielder.

“He knows as well as anyone else the things he needs to do and he does them. Nobody has to ask him. Nobody has to be there. He does them,” said Foley. “This guy, if you wanted to point to someone as an example, you would use Carl Crawford. I’ve seen him grow up from being a 17-year-old kid when he came to the Rays until now. I told him when he left, he made himself what he is today by hard work.”

And that, the Sox and Crawford trust, is what will make him a success in Boston as well.