Allen Craig (65)

Stance: Craig starts out with his knees bent, back straight and hands floating around the chest area with the bat pointing straight up. As the pitch is delivered he has a slight leg kick leading into his hands and hips going back and then forward, generating very good bat speed.

Approach: Craig is a good contact hitter who has a knack for getting on base as seen by his solid .357 career on-base percentage. He mostly gets on base via the single but that does not mean there isn’t any power to his game it is just a product of his swing happy approach. In addition, Craig ranks as the active leader in terms of hitting with runners in scoring position, a category he once again lead in 2013 hitting at a .454 clip in 152 plate appearances, showing an ability to hit under pressure at the highest level. He also has an ability to hit the ball to all fields.

Hitting Ability:  A perennial .300 hitter, Craig is among the best in the game in terms of hitting ability. He is very smart at the plate and is able to hit in all situations. While is power isn’t at the level of his overall hitting ability, Craig is an excellent 4/5/6 hitter in a good lineup. Craig’s hitting ability is what will put him in All Star conversations for years to come.

Power: While Craig’s power numbers dropped substantially in 2013 from the year before, he is still above average. On any given season Craig is a good bet for 15-20 homers and around 25-30 doubles. As mentioned, perhaps the decrease in his power numbers is a result of him focusing on making contact and driving runners in as opposed to going deep.

Running: Saying Craig is a poor runner would be an understatement. Firstly, he possesses well below-average speed which has limited him positionally and has caused low stolen base numbers throughout his career. Secondly, Craig led the league in outs at home last season, an indicator of someone who is not only slow but someone who makes poor decisions on the base paths.

Fielding: Craig cannot seem to find a permanant home defensively having bounced around the corner infield and outfield positions over the past few seasons. That being said, Craig has actually been quite effective throughout his career posting a .999 fielding percentage in 2013 while playing multiple positions. In 2014 Craig will play the bulk of the time in Right Field due to the emergence of young first baseman Matt Adams.

Physical Description: Very solidly built, Craig possesses a very strong frame with some “soft areas” which means he will need to focus on condition as his career moves along in order to stick in the outfield and not be doomed to designated hitter duties for the remainder of his career. The foundation of Craig’s strength comes from a very strong lower body and core.

Projection: Craig is and will continue to be a top level bat for years to come. He will hit in the middle of a batting order for the foreseeable future while collecting a couple all star designations along the way. Craig will profile as a DH  as he gets older but his bat is his calling card and will ensure he has a job for a very long time.