I knew I shouldn’t have clicked on the link.
Somehow, someway, during a Google search for ‘St. Louis Cardinals News’, an article from CSNNE.com popped up called ‘Craig Remains Forgotten Man With Red Sox‘.
Shouldn’t have clicked it.
And if you’re having a good day, you should probably head off to a different site right now before we explore it.
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The Red Sox are playing Hanley Ramirez at 1B. Surely they’re giving Craig a look to just to see if maybe the past 2 years were a fluke or injury related or something… right?
Hanley Ramirez and the Red Sox’ backup at first, Travis Shaw, had taken part in some rundown drills and now it was time to head to another field. Rotating in were a group of mostly younger players ticketed for the minor leagues
Sam Travis, about to start his second full season of pro ball, was in this group. So, too, was Allen Craig.
Craig only played 36 MLB games for the Red Sox in 2015. He hit .152 and was a -0.7 WAR player. Doesn’t seem like the Red Sox have put that behind them.
It’s easy to forget that Craig is still part of the Red Sox organization.
His name doesn’t come up when Ramirez’s uneasy transition to first is discussed, and he is here now only because he was given an invite to spring training, having been outrighted off the 40-man roster last fall.
Craig has a fan-made YouTube video called ‘Allen Craig: The Machine’ that is totally unironic. He was a a really good player. Ugh.
At least Craig is staying positive about his situation.
“I feel good, I feel happy about where I’m at,” said Craig. “Obviously, last year was a new experience for me, going back down to the minor leagues and stuff. But I feel like I did a good job down there. I just competed and did the best I could.”
The numbers suggest otherwise, however. Even in the International League, Craig didn’t post impressive stats, with a .274/.368/.350 slash line. The latter, representing his slugging percentage, is a particular reminder that Craig simply doesn’t drive the ball the way he once did. In 343 at-bats, he had just 18 extra-base hits, playing half of his games in hitter-friendly McCoy Stadium.
The Boston media is a bit different than the warm embrace of the St. Louis media.
Still just 31, Craig won’t go so far to call last year — spent mostly at Triple A — “embarrassing” or even “humbling.”
If you’re looking for a silver lining in this piece, there doesn’t appear to be one.
In retrospect, Craig’s time with the Red Sox seemed ill-fated to begin with.
He was devastated by the trade which sent him and Joe Kelly to the Red Sox in exchange for John Lackey. The day he arrived, he injured his foot when stepping on first base and was later placed on the DL.
The only thing left to cover is his salary.
It doesn’t help that Craig will make $9 million this season and $11 million next. Were he at a lesser salary, it would be easier for the Sox to ship him elsewhere and let him start fresh.
But in addition to the declining performance, there’s his price tag, making it impossible to move him — unless the Sox took back almost all of the remaining money.
“I don’t want to get into that,” said Craig. “It comes down to things being out of my control. What can I do beside going out and do the best that I can and be a good teammate and that’s it.”
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Allen Craig got top 20 MVP votes in both 2012 and 2013. He put together 2 years of hitting with runners in scoring position that were insane. He was a badass. He was THE WRENCH.
Now?
He’s in a bad spot.
At this point it seems like it is what it is for Craig. Impossible to trade. An afterthought for the team he’s on. And mired in a 2 year slump that he can’t seem to shake.
I don’t have any answers.
But I guess it’s worth putting it out in the world that most Cardinals fans are wishing him well and hope against hope that he has a good season for the Sox.
Best of luck, Mr. Craig.
Photo: Boston.com
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