Well this is sad.
Will Craig, the first baseman from the infamous Javy Báez play earlier this spring, back when the Cubs were competitive and the sun was shining and all was ok in the world, has signed to play in the KBO. He’s crossing the pond, and I mean the big pond, the peaceful pond, the pond that’s got a little Australia on the side: The Pacific Ocean. Will Craig is going to Korea, where he hopes no one knows his name.
It’s not that dire, and it’s possible his quotes are being taken out of context. After all, he does get the guarantee of regular playing time as he approaches free agency.
That said, the quotes, from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, are sad:
“I feel like that play kind of defined me. I didn’t want that to be the case. That’s another thing that went into my decision to go over there. I need to almost start over in a way.”
“There are times where it hits me, and I’m like, ‘Did that really happen?’ It will hang over my head for the rest of my career. But I want to give myself an opportunity to break away from it for a little bit.”
“I feel like most players always have a play or some type of event that happens in their career. Mine just happens to be a little bit bigger than others. If I was in Year 15 of my career, I feel like that play wouldn’t be nearly as crazy. But because I only had a month [of service time], it made it seem that much worse.”
To be fair, the play took a long time. That is one thing that does affect the memory of it. It was a long play. You get bonked by a fly ball and accidentally header it into the bullpen for a dinger, it’s over and done with. That play, to our knowledge, might still be happening. Javy Báez might still be scrambling around the bases.
But also…Will. Friend. It’s ok. I would not have been able to tell you that it was you involved on the play. Nobody else on your team stepped on first either. Javy Báez had you hypnotized. So whoever’s telling you that this play will be a massive part of your legacy…they’re wrong. No one’s going to remember you for it. They’re going to remember Báez and the Pirates at large. You were on the Pirates! That was not a Will Craig play. That was a Javy Báez and the Pirates play.
Anyway, good luck to Craig in the KBO. Hopefully he has success over there, an ocean away from El Mago. Hopefully he comes back and hits fifteen home runs for the A’s and gets a start in a Wild Card Game.
