The Pirates announced Friday that they’ve reinstated right-hander JT Brubaker from the Covid-19-related injured list and, in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, designated first baseman Will Craig for assignment. Brubaker was placed on the Covid list earlier this week when he went through intake testing after spending a few days on the bereavement list.
It’s been a tough week for Craig, who’ll unfortunately have a tough time living down last week’s defensive gaffe that saw Javier Baez dupe him into a rundown between first base and home plate when Erik Gonzalez sailed a throw from third base. The ensuing play was one of the more bizarre sequences in recent memory, resulting in a run for the Cubs and, somehow, Baez standing on second base after hitting a grounder to third that was both fielded cleanly and at least caught by the first baseman.
Of course, there’s far more to Craig than that one play. The 26-year-old was the 22nd overall pick of the 2016 draft and for several years rated as one of the Buccos’ more promising farmhands. He’s batted just .203/.261/.281 in a small sample of 20 Major League contests, but Craig clocked three homers and a pair of doubles in 29 Triple-A plate appearances before getting the call to the big leagues this year.
Craig has spent parts of two seasons in Triple-A and another in Double-A, producing eerily similar slash lines: .248/.321/.448 in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting and .248/.323/.446 in a much more hitter-friendly Triple-A environment. It’s not the production the Pirates hoped for after he mashed at a .347/.461/.623 clip while starring for Wake Forest, but scouting reports on Craig as he was making his way through the Pittsburgh system credited him with a potentially average hit tool, above-average power and a plus throwing arm.
The Pirates have designated Craig once in the past, and he went unclaimed on waivers at that point. Because he’s already cleared waivers once, he’d have the ability to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency if he wants a fresh start in a new organization. The Bucs will have a week to either trade Craig or attempt to pass him through waivers a second time.
W
Havin a bad week
Sucks this guy is gunna be remembered for such a fluke play that really is in no way indicative of what kind of player he is.
“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done”
Except MetsFan22
Nice reference to a middling film. Not every day you see someone quote Roman J. Israel, Esq.
It wasn’t a “fluke play”! It was a bonehead play of the highest degree.
Steve it showed what kind of player he is…my kid is 10 and has more smarts on the field then him
@myaccount that comment has to be the dumbest and most ignorant comment I’ve read on MLBTR. There has been plenty of ignorance on here, but political stuff on a baseball form and obviously insinuating a guy voted for someone you oppose, is the dumbest thing I seen to date. You can’t even insult intelligence of someone by using a political platform on a baseball forum. It just made you look pathetic and reaching quite a bit with no baseball knowledge. Just go back to the TV and watch a bit more Fox News. Then head over to Facebook and get a bit more chummy with the right wing loyalist. This site doesn’t need this stuff anyways. Baseball is a place we try to get away from this political nightmare we live. Take it elsewhere
Not super familiar with the guy, but wasn’t he a fairly hyped-up prospect when he was coming up? Surprised they cut bait already.
He was a prospect, but never hyped in any way. Put up decent minor league numbers but was always old for his level. A R/R 1B with a league average bat are a dime a dozen. His ceiling was CJ Cron. His floor is a college hitting coach. At 26 he is looking closer to the latter at this point, but with 6 years of team control, I bet someone could take a stab at him.
He was only ever hyped by those who saw those 102 RBI’s at Double-A in 2018 and nothing else.
Another fine first round pick by the prior regime. Craig and Cole Tucker are quite the combo.
Yikes. No chance to make up for that whole “I lost a guy in a rundown between home and first” debacle.
Will Craig is only okay and couldn’t master what they taught us all in Little League.
He will clear simply because his lack of knowledge
Please Cubs claim him!!!! A magician needs an assistant!
His first game was against the Giants and he hit a HR. The Pirate announcers were enthusiastic pointing out he had a great week at Indy before being called up. I certainly got the impression he was highly considered. Shocked when I saw he was DFAed.
The new regime has never highly considered Craig. It was more of a “we kind of have to” move rather than them wanting to call him up. It wasn’t until Todd Frazier was gone and both Phillip Evans, and Colin Moran were on the IL to re-place Craig back in the 40-man.
When I first saw the play it was on the internet with no sound in a tiny screen, I thought it was only a slightly worse play than I’ve seen from the Pirates…all the time.
THEN, I learned that there were two outs (which I didn’t notice on the tiny screen).
I couldn’t remember (or didn’t know) who #38 was so I assumed it was a backup infielder or a backup catcher playing out of position at first base.
THEN, I learned that it was Will Craig, a career first baseman.
Didn’t he win defensive awards in the minors or something?
This is what a losing culture looks like.
He was drafted as a 3B, but I get your point.
I never really liked Craig (as a player), but I do feel pretty bad for him. Unless he has some Bill Mazeroski, Joe Carter playoff walk off moment in his career, he’ll forever be known as the guy who got in a rundown between first base and home plate.
I hope you recover from the Javy Baez play lol
Will Craig was hitting better than Gonzalez last month and he doesn’t just hit singles and bat under Mendoza line !
Reminder to Will Craig critics: He reached the highest level of his profession and isn’t done yet. How’s your life?
I would rather have seen them DFA Polanco than Craig. How can any team batting Polanco cleanup claim to be anything other than joke. What is he now; 3 for 38 with runners in scoring position and they continue to put his name on a lineup card? I would rather see Craig or another kid get a chance.
I did something stupid like that when I was playing first base in high school as a sophomore. After I fielded a groundball near the foul line, I lazily held my glove in the base path expecting the batter to run into it. I missed the tag when he dodged my lunge as he ran past me. So, I know what it feels to be a big wet peepee, too.
Another bad draft by the Buccos.
Honestly there’s worse players they could have let go other than Craig. Tom and Gamel are useless, as is the majority of their outfield in general. Oh well,, I feel bad for him, dumb play but wish he can make up for it.
Craig was going to go when Moran comes off the IL.
Gamel will go when Evans comes off the IL.
Tom will stay because they would lose him and he gets a lot of walks at 5’9” tall.My guess is that Difo goes and they hope that he clears waivers.
He will get a shot somewhere else. Was one of the dumbest plays ever. So what, it’s over and done. One play should not kill a career that takes most players years to get to the big leagues to begin with. And yes I’m saying this as I’m watching Garrett Crochet pitch. A man that never threw a baseball in the minor leagues.
A few thoughts…
1) Will Craig will probably clear waivers since he already has once and every organization has one or two players like him in their system.
2) Glad he got some MLB paychecks instead of the minor league pocket change.
3) Tyler Anderson the starting pitcher when that play happened summed it up best in his post game interview when he said that Craig made a bad play but the blame doesn’t rest solely on him, there should’ve been 25 players plus a handful of coaches yelling for him to take the force out at first.
A few thoughts…
1) Will Craig will probably clear waivers since he already has once and every organization has one or two players like him in their system.
2) Glad he got some MLB paychecks instead of the minor league pocket change.
3) Tyler Anderson the starting pitcher when that play happened summed it up best in his post game interview when he said that Craig made a bad play but the blame doesn’t rest solely on him, there should’ve been 26 players plus a handful of coaches yelling for him to take the force out at first.
Sorry for posting twice, I’m bad at interneting.
It truly was a bonehead play,but it was just one play.
The second baseman was complicit in it as he should have been sitting on first base yelling for the ball.The catcher’s throw had to be to a moving target.Heck,even the right fielder could have run in to cover first base.
There truly is no excuse for it,but it is just one play,and others had a hand in it.
You are right, the whole team sat on their hands instead of getting involved in the play.
Doubt if any team will claim him. Don’t even bother sending him to Indy. Promote a younger player to AAA who has a chance of a better future in the majors.
I think that with Craig and Cole as samples it tells me that the Pirates previous scouting department was below average,and that the team had to hype these first round draft choices until the regime changed or it became obvious that they were not viable players.Cole did not hit well in AAA this year,and it is too bad since he and Hayes would have made a great fielding half of the infield.
I am concerned that Newman is another Josh Bell with basically one very fine hitting year and little else.
The current regime has clearly made decisions on Craig and Cole and seems to have moved on from both.
The middle infield young prospects coming up are supposedly very good players but we shall see if these scouting and development groups are any better.It is the Pirates only hope for sustained success.
Newman hasnt made an error all year. Who cares about his hitting with a glove like that?
Bucs-Newman has not heretofore been known for his glove,and unfortunately he is not hitting much better than Tucker at this point.Tucker has much better range.I like Newman but he needs to hit better than this to hold the position.