Who is the #4 prospect for 2018

[PMike]

163031263020530 wrote: I would also say that Craig is the easy choice for who to add for the next round.
I am very curious of where Craig will finish in the poll. He may not make my top 25.



Like several others this is a big year


Craig is a strange case. He has lots of hype but has been underwhelming on paper. We did a family trip to Disney this summer and I talked the wife into going to Bradenton to catch a Marauders game. Sad to say, both Hayes and Craig were underwhelming. Neither jumped out at me as top prospects typically do at an Single A game. That said, the guy sitting in front of me was a regular and he said that he had seen some real glimpses with Hayes.



I don't know about Craig. I don't see it for him at the moment. However, I don't think I'd be shocked if he busted out this year.

[dogknot17@yahoo.co]

Most sites have Craig in the Top 10. Is that because of his talent or the lack of talent in the organization?



I don't know how the Pirates are ranked so high as an organization by the "experts". Outside of Meadows and Keller, no one really stands out for me.

[ScottinMass]

79445A575852597B5344555352360 wrote: I would also say that Craig is the easy choice for who to add for the next round.
So you like Craig, but you're not impressed with Hayes offensively?

Both had very similar numbers at Bradenton last year and Hayes was only 20 while Craig is 23.

I think Hayes will take a big step forward this year and am looking forward to watching him progress.



Craig: .271/.373/.371

Hayes: .278/.353/.369

[SyrBucco]

7B5A527B50583F0 wrote: Influence by both P2 and their crew of observers of the Pirates Prospects and The Point of Pittsburgh's Kevin Creagh formerly know DBS on OBN. 



How ya doin' Syrbucco?  Ever hear from our friend Jimbo and his baseball swing on the golf course?   ;D
Poss, I'm enjoying retired life! Have plenty of time for travel and we've been doing more than our fair share. Jackie will probably retire at the end of this year, and then we're really going to start moving.

Trust that all is well in your household. Haven't heard from Jimbo in years. Wonder what happened to him?

[SyrBucco]

704D535E515B50725A4D5C5A5B3F0 wrote: Cole is the easy choice here.



I'm also not impressed with Hayes at this point. He will need to make a big jump in offensive production with the move to Altoona for me to consider him a future major leaguer.
I'm with ya on having doubts about Hayes. I just don't think he's got the power for an MLB INF corner. Not sure he will ever give us as much as JHay would.

[psuinpgh21]

I had Craig in from the beginning last year and he didn't get any votes until the 6th round. I will be adding him to the #5 poll later this afternoon, just wondering where he will wind up. Was #10 last year and did not impress.

[Ecbucs]

646F676B6E6F743137407961686F6F2E636F000 wrote: Most sites have Craig in the Top 10.  Is that because of his talent or the lack of talent in the organization?



I don't know how the Pirates are ranked so high as an organization by the "experts".  Outside of Meadows and Keller, no one really stands out for me. 


Fangraphs had him 9th going into 2017 season. In its December prospect list he had dropped to 17th. Here is their description:

Optimists hoped Craig’s plus arm strength — he pitched and played third base at Wake Forest — would help hide his lack of mobility and enable him to be a viable defensive third baseman. But after giving it a try during his post-draft summer in 2016, Craig was moved, full-time, to first base in 2017. Even in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, his .371 slugging percentage is a source of concern for a hitter at the bottom of the defensive spectrum, and Craig’s career .091 ISO over 800 plate appearances in Rookie and A-ball is half of what the big-league average at first base was in 2017.



Craig is a patient, discerning hitter, and his wrists are quick and strong, but his swing lacks any other explosive elements, limiting his power to the doubles variety. Unless he becomes a plus hitter with elite on-base skills, he probably doesn’t profile at first base.



Maybe he will add power this year or at least hit for a lot better average than he has so far. His six homers for Bradenton ranked 6th on the team. Mitchell Tolman hit 9. IMO, Craig definitely needs to improve across the board on all his offensive stats at Altoona to show he has any shot at being a major leaguer. This will be his age 23 season.

[johnfluharty]

He needs to really try to add those explosive elements to his swing. I'm not sure how much good it does for him to get on base if he just clogs them up due to lack of any speed at all.

[dogknot17@yahoo.co]

5A5F585E565C455851424449300 wrote: He needs to really try to add those explosive elements to his swing.  I'm not sure how much good it does for him to get on base if he just clogs them up due to lack of any speed at all. 


That doesn't matter. Getting on base is still important no matter how slow you are.

[OrlandoMerced]

I think it's important to note that developmentally in the FSL, the Pirates have their hitters focus on hitting off speed stuff. This factoid, observation was made by P2 I think before last offseason. To me that means they would be sitting on the offspeed pitch in most situations, and seeking to go the other way with the fastball. That naturally leads to a depressed SLG%.



I think seeing what Kramer and Luplow did upon moving to Altoona has made that note sink into my brain. Basically all negative reports I've read on Craig evolve around his lack of power and approach at the plate. Until proven otherwise, I'm ignoring SLG% in FSL and looking more at average, OBP and K:BB ratios. All areas that Craig excelled at. But, being relegated to 1B, he will need to replicate Kramer/Luplow/Meadows numbers at AA to be considered in the top tier of prospects for this team.