Bucs claim righty Goudeau, DFA 1B Craig

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates claimed right-hander Ashton Goudeau -- an intriguing and potentially late-blooming pitching prospect -- off waivers from the Rockies on Wednesday afternoon. To make room on Pittsburgh's full 40-man roster, first baseman Will Craig was designated for assignment.

The decision to remove Craig from the roster is not necessarily surprising, but it is notable nonetheless. The 26-year-old was the Pirates’ first-round pick in the 2016 Draft and their No. 22 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Four years after being selected 22nd overall, Craig only received a brief shot in the Majors.

Craig was a Minor League Gold Glove Award winner at first base in 2019, but he hasn’t quite developed into the hitter the Pirates expected when they selected him out of Wake Forest University. Craig showed flashes of being a high-average hitter and an on-base machine in the low Minors, then he hit for more power at the expense of his patient approach in the upper Minors.

But Craig didn’t put it all together at the plate, and defensively he was more or less limited to first base. The Pirates drafted him as a third baseman, but he moved off the position in his first full professional season. Pittsburgh experimented with him in right field, but he only played 13 games at the position for Triple-A Indianapolis in 2019.

Craig went 0-for-4 with one strikeout in his two appearances for the Pirates this season, and he was simply unable to move past infielders such as Josh Bell and Colin Moran on the club’s depth chart.

Craig was drafted under the Pirates’ old regime, led by general manager Neal Huntington. Presumably general manager Ben Cherington was less attached to Craig’s high Draft status and Pittsburgh’s decision to take him ahead of players such as Carter Kieboom, Dane Dunning, Anthony Kay, Will Smith, Dylan Carlson, Dakota Hudson and current Pirates outfielder (by way of the Giants, in the Andrew McCutchen trade) Bryan Reynolds.

The Pirates have yet to see much production from their 2016 Draft class. They were unable to sign lefty Nick Lodolo, the 41st overall pick, and he’s now the top prospect in the Reds organization. Relievers Blake Cederlind (fifth round) and Geoff Hartlieb (29th round) are Pittsburgh’s only '16 selections to reach the Majors so far, besides Craig, although the club just added promising right-hander Max Kranick (11th round) to its 40-man roster.

In the past week, the Pirates have cut ties with some of their corner-infield depth in Craig and the recently released José Osuna, who is expected to continue his career overseas.

The third base job belongs to star rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes. Bell and Moran will likely split time at first base and designated hitter, if the DH returns to the National League next season. Phillip Evans spent time at both corners before sustaining season-ending injuries earlier this year. Down on the farm, the Pirates’ top first-base prospect is power-hitting Mason Martin, who performed well at the club’s alternate training site this summer.

On the other end of Wednesday’s transaction, the Pirates acquired the 28-year-old Goudeau, who was designated for assignment by the Rockies on Friday. Goudeau had been Colorado’s No. 23 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, despite a rough introduction to the Majors this year in which he posted a 7.56 ERA and a 2.04 WHIP in 8 1/3 innings over four appearances.

In 2019, Goudeau went 3-3 with a 2.07 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 91 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings over 16 starts for Double-A Hartford. That fall, he struck out 18 over 13 scoreless innings in the Arizona Fall League. The 6-foot-6 righty’s Minor League numbers before that were unimpressive, but he made some significant changes to his delivery and pitch grips heading into the '19 season.

Goudeau’s fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range, and he throws an average changeup. But his curveball is his biggest weapon, coming out of the same arm slot as his fastball with good command. Add in the fact that he has Minor League options remaining, and it’s easy to understand what the Pirates saw in Goudeau.