Will Craig

Will Craig
Craig with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019
First baseman
Born: (1994-11-16) November 16, 1994 (age 29)
Johnson City, Tennessee, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Professional debut
MLB: August 27, 2020, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
KBO: August 12, 2021, for the Kiwoom Heroes
Last appearance
MLB: June 1, 2021, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
KBO: October 30, 2021, for the Kiwoom Heroes
MLB statistics
Batting average.203
Home runs1
Runs batted in3
KBO statistics
Batting average.249
Home runs6
Runs batted in30
Teams

William Isaac Craig (born November 16, 1994) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and in the KBO League for the Kiwoom Heroes.

Amateur career

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Craig attended Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee.[1] The Kansas City Royals selected Craig in the 13th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign. He attended Wake Forest University, where he played college baseball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.[2]

Craig played as both a third baseman and pitcher at Wake Forest.[3] As a freshman in 2014, he had 189 at-bats over 54 games and hit .280/.357/.439 with eight home runs and 36 runs batted in (RBI). As a pitcher he appeared in seven games with one start and went 1–0 with a 4.05 earned run average (ERA).[4] He played collegiate summer baseball for the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League in 2014. As a sophomore, Craig was named the ACC Player of the Year after hitting .382/.496/.702 with 13 home runs and 58 RBI.[5] As a pitcher he was 3–4 with a 6.09 ERA and 39 strikeouts. After the 2015 season, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[6][7]

Professional career

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Pittsburgh Pirates

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The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Craig in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He was the most recent first round pick out of Wake Forest until pitcher Jared Shuster in 2020.[8]

Craig at the 2019 All-Star Futures Game

He signed and was then assigned to the West Virginia Black Bears where he batted .280 with two home runs and 23 RBIs in 63 games. In 2017, Craig played for the Bradenton Marauders, posting a .271 batting average with six home runs and 61 RBIs in 123 games,[9] and in 2018, he played with the Altoona Curve, batting .248 with twenty home runs and 102 RBIs in 132 games.[10] He spent the 2019 season with the Indianapolis Indians,[11] slashing .249/.326/.435 with 23 home runs and 78 RBIs over 131 games. Craig was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game.[12] Craig was added to the Pirates 40–man roster following the 2019 season.[13]

On August 27, 2020, Craig was promoted to the major leagues for the first time and made his debut that night against the St. Louis Cardinals. Craig went hitless in 4 at-bats for the Pirates in 2020. On November 25, 2020, Craig was designated for assignment.[14] He was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on December 2.[15]

On May 13, 2021, Craig was selected to the active roster.[16] That day, he hit his first MLB home run, a solo shot off of San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval.

On May 27, 2021, Craig's 15th MLB game,[17] he was the key fielder in a blooper reel highlight of 2021, when he chased Javier Báez down the first base line toward home with two outs, instead of simply stepping on the bag to force him out. Willson Contreras scored from second base as Craig threw the ball to catcher Michael Pérez. Báez was able to safely run back to first base, and Pérez's throw to try to retire Báez at first base sailed into right field as second baseman Adam Frazier was late to cover the bag at first. The play was ruled as two errors, with one on Craig and the other on Pérez.

After batting .217/.277/.300 with 1 home run and 3 RBI in 18 games, Craig was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh on June 4.[18] He was outrighted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians on June 9.[19]

Kiwoom Heroes

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On July 13, 2021, Craig was acquired by the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League and signed a contract worth $371K with the team.[20] In 61 games, he slashed .248/.320/.383 with 6 home runs and 30 RBIs. Craig was not re-signed for the 2022 season.

Coaching career

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In June 2022, Craig returned to Wake Forest to complete his college degree.[21] On August 25, 2022, Wake Forest hired Craig as part of Tom Walter's coaching staff for the ensuing season as the student assistant coach.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Williams, Trey (November 15, 2012). "Diamond life at Wake Forest attracts Science Hill senior Will Craig". Johnson City Press. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  2. ^ Ongie, Dave (May 28, 2015). "Former Hilltopper Craig enjoys breakout season, named ACC player of year". Johnson City Press. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  3. ^ Collins, Dan (April 16, 2015). "Craig is do-it-all player for Deacons". Winston Salem Journal. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  4. ^ "Sudden impact: Craig's freshman season at Wake Forest a success". Johnson City Press. November 24, 2014.
  5. ^ report, Journal staff (May 18, 2015). "Deacons' Craig named ACC Player of Year". Winston-Salem Journal.
  6. ^ "#22 Will Craig". pointstreak.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  7. ^ "Wareham's Sowers wins Home Run Hitting Contest". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  8. ^ Newspapers, CONOR O'NEILL Lee (June 12, 2020). "Wake Forest pitcher Jared Shuster was picked in the first round by the Atlanta Braves". Greensboro News and Record.
  9. ^ "Will Craig Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  10. ^ "Will Craig Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  11. ^ Cheyne Reiter (March 30, 2019). "Quick Hitters with Will Craig". MiLB.com. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  12. ^ Jim Callis (June 28, 2019). "Here are the 2019 Futures Game rosters". MLB.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  13. ^ Adam Berry (November 20, 2019). "Bucs add top prospects Hayes, Cruz to 40-man". MLB.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "Pirates Designate Will Craig For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. November 25, 2020.
  15. ^ "Minor MLB Transactions: 12/3/20". MLB Trade Rumors. December 3, 2020.
  16. ^ "Pirates Select Will Craig, Designate Sean Poppen". MLB Trade Rumors. May 13, 2021.
  17. ^ Matt Maldre (May 27, 2021). "The best comments on the Javier Báez rundown at first base". 57hits.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  18. ^ Adams, Steve (June 4, 2021). "Pirates Designate Will Craig For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  19. ^ "Pirates Outright Will Craig". June 9, 2021.
  20. ^ Polishuk, Mark (July 13, 2021). "KBO's Kiwoom Heroes Acquire Will Craig". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  21. ^ "LOCALS IN THE PROS: Change of plans; With playing career in limbo, Will Craig aims to complete college degree at Wake Forest". heraldcourier.com. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  22. ^ "Wake Forest Baseball: Wake Forest, Coach Walter Announces Additions to Staff". 247sports.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
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