Craig is the 245th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former St. Cloud Rox infielder/pitcher Will Craig, made his Major League debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, August 27, 2020. Craig is the 245th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Craig, who played collegiately at Wake Forest, played for the St. Cloud Rox in 2014. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1st round, 22nd overall, of the 2016 MLB draft.
During the 2014 season with the Rox, Craig played in 56 games and hit .255 with eight home runs, 11 doubles and two stolen bases. He drove in 30 runs and scored 28 times. On the mound he was 0-3 with a 6.32 ERA. He struck out 19 batters in 21.1 innings pitched.
Craig began his professional career in 2016 with the West Virginia Black Bears of the Short-Season A New York-Penn League. In 55 games he hit .280 with two home runs, 12 doubles and 28 runs scored. He drove in 23 and stole two bases.
In 2017 he spent the full season with the Bradenton Marauders of the Hi-A Florida State League. He played in 123 games and hit .271 with six home runs, 26 doubles and one triple. He scored 59 times and had 61 RBI.
In 2018 Craig was promoted to the Altoona Curve of the AA Eastern League. In Altoona he hit .248 in 132 games with career-highs in RBI with 102, home runs with 20, doubles with 30, triples with three, runs scored with 73 and stolen bases with six.
Craig moved up to AAA for the 2018 season as he spent the year with the Indianapolis Indians of the International League. He played in 131 games and hit .249 with a new career high of 23 home runs. He drove in 78 runs and had 23 doubles.
Craig was placed in the Pirates 60-man player pool for the 2020 season and had his contract purchased on August 27. In his Major League debut against the St. Louis Cardinals, Craig started at first base and went 0 for 3 at the plate.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 27th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 240 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
