South Side Hit Pen Top Prospect 45: Craig Dedelow
Grinder, redux: With a projectable body, plus power, and a focus on the intangibles, Dedelow still presents a case for optimism.(Tiffany Wintz/South Side Hit Pen)
Craig Dedelow
Left Fielder
6´4´´
195 pounds
Age: 25
SSHP rank among all left fielders in the system: 4
2019 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking: 86
2020 South Side Sox Top Prospect Vote: 41
Dedelow was a three-sport athlete in high school for a short time, before a broken arm ended his prep football career as a freshman. However, he continued to excel in both basketball and baseball. Dedelow played power forward on the No. 1-ranked basketball team in his home state of Indiana during his senior year, but when he failed to garner collegiate recruiting attention he realized baseball was his sport.
At IU, Dedelow made the most of his opportunity, and after his junior year was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 34thround of the 2016 draft. Instead of signing a professional contract, he opted to return to college for his senior season. There, his hard work and dedication to strength training resulted in a power surge, as Dedelow hit 19 long balls during his final season, surpassing his previous three year’s combined total. The power surge opened some eyes and Dedelow was selected by the White Sox in the 10thround of the 2017 draft.
Dedelow continued mashing during his rookie ball debut at Great Falls, authoring a fantastic .321/.353/.574 slash line that included a dozen round-trippers.
He came into the 2018 season with high hopes, kicking off his first full pro season as the primary left fielder for the Kannapolis Intimidators. At the end of the first half, Dedelow was one of eight Intimidators earning a selection as a SAL All-Star, and he showcased his plus raw power by finishing as the runner-up in the Home Run Derby. But after the All-Star break Dedelow’s stat line dropped off precipitously, as he slashed .214/.261/.381 in spite of doubling his first half home run total.
Dedelow advanced to Winston-Salem for the 2019 season and fairly well duplicated his 2018 numbers from Low-A, slashing ,245/.307/.445 and driving out a personal professional-best 18 homers.
While he's going to have to start making a move up the prospect charts quickly, with a projectable body, plus power, and a focus on the intangibles, Dedelow still presents a case for optimism.