CLEVELAND -- Shortly after Will Craig learned that he had been invited to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, he shared the news with his wife, Morgan. She knew of the annual prospect showcase, and she’d seen Craig’s younger teammates -- like Mitch Keller, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Luis Escobar -- represent the Pirates in recent years. But she still had a question.

“She kind of paused for a second, then she was like, ‘Aren’t you a little old to be doing that?’” Craig said, laughing, before taking batting practice Sunday afternoon. “I was like, 'Maybe a little bit.'”

Craig, 24, wasn’t even the oldest person on the National League roster. He was the third oldest, two months younger than Brewers pitching prospect Devin Williams and one month younger than the Rockies’ Ben Bowden. But the Bucs’ No. 12 prospect, a first-round pick only three years ago, might have felt a little older when he left the game Sunday night.

Craig was hit by a pitch in each of his two plate appearances at Progressive Field, first by Mariners prospect Justin Dunn in the second inning and again to end a seven-pitch battle with Tigers prospect Matt Manning in the fourth.

“Better than two strikeouts, I guess,” Craig deadpanned.

Painful as it may have been in the moment, Craig was no less awestruck by the experience of playing in a big league ballpark -- in front of Morgan and his parents, Brad and Kim -- for the second time in his life as the NL tied the American League, 2-2.

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“It’s been pretty surreal. It’s about as close as you’ll get to the big leagues, talent-wise,” Craig said. “Every single player here is a top prospect for their team, and they’re all young guys, too. You know there’s a lot that’s going to happen the next couple years. It’s been pretty surreal.”

Craig’s only other experience in a big league ballpark came as a designated hitter when the Pirates played exhibition games at Minute Maid Park, so Sunday was his first time playing the field with that extra deck that Minor Leaguers hear so much about. And Craig handled himself well as the NL’s starting first baseman.

Craig cleanly fielded Nick Madrigal’s grounder in the first inning and flipped the ball to pitcher Ian Anderson for the second out. He played his part in running down Jo Adell after MacKenzie Gore picked off Adell in the second inning. And he smoothly scooped shortstop Carter Kieboom’s throw to first to force out Jake Rogers for the final out of the third inning.

That lined up with all the recent reports about Craig’s defense, as the former third baseman showed more promise at first last season with Double-A Altoona.

“He can work around the bag well. Obviously the arm is good and the hands are good,” Pirates senior director of Minor League operations Larry Broadway told MLB.com. “He’s still learning the footwork and the IQ stuff at first base, the nuance of it, but he’s doing a really good job.”

The Pirates have seen Craig hit for average and get on base in the Minors. He’s also shown his potential as a run producer over the past two years. Last season, he clubbed 20 homers and drove in 102 RBIs in 132 games for Altoona. He’s currently hitting .250/.327/.464 with 17 homers and 50 RBIs in 81 games for Triple-A Indianapolis.

“It’s now a matter of not having to choose between ‘This is a good hitter pitch’ or 'This is a power pitch.’ This is becoming a good hitter that has power,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “That’s the next step for Will, to understand what it truly means to be a good hitter with power. It’s not an either/or. It’s, ‘I’m going to put a good swing on the ball and everything comes together.’”

Then comes an entirely different question: Where does Craig play? Josh Bell, the Pirates’ current first baseman, will take the spotlight in Cleveland the next two nights as he slugs it out in his first Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. Bell isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, which is why Craig is getting some work in right field this year.

“Having two really good hitters at first base will be a good thing for the organization, because it’s a funny game,” Huntington said. “In the short term, we’ll bounce him around and add some different gloves to his bag to help him find a way to make a Major League team, then help a Major League team win games.”

What does that mean for Craig? For one, it means he’s thrilled for Bell, who helped him throughout their first Spring Training together this year. He knows he’s getting closer to the big leagues, but he’s learned -- in his not-that-old age -- not to worry about it.

“I can’t get caught up in how JB is doing. Obviously he’s a top three player in the league, in my opinion, right now with his numbers,” Craig said. “Whatever he does isn’t going to determine how I do. I learned that really early, that no matter how well I do, there’s a reason I’m here and I’m going to make the most of it.”