Four Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects That Made An Impact This Spring

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BRADENTON, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 20: Will Craig #75 of the Pittsburgh Pirates poses for a portrait during the Pittsburgh Pirates Photo Day on February 20, 2019 at Pirate City in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

First baseman Will Craig

With the 22nd overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Will Craig. The Wake Forest Demon Deacon first baseman came with plenty of question marks, and many people viewed the pick as a bit of a head scratcher.

Craig was viewed as a good, not great, hitter whose future may be as a designated hitter. For these reasons, the Pirates spending a first round pick on Craig appeared to be a risky move. There were questions about his power as well.

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During his time at Low-A and High-A in 2016 and 2017 Craig slashed .274/.386/.368 with a 129 wRC+. While his on-base percentage and 12.6% walk rate were both healthy, Craig continued to have issues hitting for power. On top of slugging just .368, he hit just 8 home runs to go with an abysmal .095 ISO.

However, in 2018 Craig started to turn a corner. In his first year at the Double-A level Craig’s power exploded. 20 home runs, 53 extra base hits, a .448 slugging percentage, and a .220 ISO late, Craig was emerging as a legitimate first base prospect.

Prior to being re-assigned to minor league camp, Craig logged 23 at bats in 15 Grapefruit League games. Craig slashed .304/.393/.391 for the Pirates this spring. He drew four walks, struck out eight times, and collected 5 RBI.

Like Hayes, Craig will make his Triple-A debut by starting the season with Indianapolis. Also like Hayes, he needs to prove his power from 2018 was not a fluke. If he does this, Pirate fans could see Craig in Pittsburgh in 2019. He could also turn himself into a great trade chip, assuming Josh Bell turns into the hitter the Pirates expect him to be.

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