Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
The Pirates took college infielders with two of their first three picks in the 2015 Draft. The first was Kevin Newman, taken in the first round out of Arizona. The second was Kramer, selected in the second round out of UCLA. A broken hand interrupted a strong '17 season and Kramer's power started showing up in '18, leading to him joining Newman in the big leagues for the first time.
For the first two years of his pro career, Kramer used a contact-oriented approach to rise up to the upper levels of the system. He started tapping into his extra-base thump in 2017 before he got hurt and leveraged his swing more to clear more fences in '18. With that came more strikeouts, but that's not something the Pirates see as a huge red flag. Kramer does need to work on his game plan more, as he does tend to guess at the plate too much. While he's played all three infield positions, he'll continue to see most of his playing time at second base, though he's fine at third with an arm that's bounced back to average.
While still in the Minors, he'd have to play second over the hot corner in deference to the other top pick from 2015, Ke'Bryan Hayes, who was the high schooler taken between Newman and Kramer. All three could impact the big league infield in '19 and beyond. Statcast - Batting Season Pitches Batted Balls Barrels Barrel % Exit Velocity Launch Angle XBA XSLG WOBA XWOBA XWOBACON Hard Hit % K % BB % 2018 155 18 2 11.1 93.2 28.7 .142 .252 .145 .192 .350 38.9 50.0 5.0 2019 223 27 2 7.4 86.1 19.8 .189 .325 .212 .262 .332 34.6 34.0 12.0 ALL 378 45 4 8.9 88.9 23.4 .167 .291 .182 .231 .339 36.4 41.1 8.9 MLB 40553 6.3 87.5 11.2 .251 .412 .317 .318 .371 34.5 21.7 8.3 Transactions Team Date Transaction 09/04/2019 Pittsburgh Pirates recalled OF Kevin Kramer from Indianapolis Indians. 08/22/2019 Indianapolis Indians activated 2B Kevin Kramer from the 7-day injured list. 08/15/2019 Indianapolis Indians placed 2B Kevin Kramer on the 7-day injured list. 07/08/2019 Pittsburgh Pirates optioned 2B Kevin Kramer to Indianapolis Indians. 07/07/2019 Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Kevin Kramer from Indianapolis Indians. 04/16/2019 Pittsburgh Pirates optioned 2B Kevin Kramer to Indianapolis Indians. 04/11/2019 Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Kevin Kramer from Indianapolis Indians. 03/18/2019 Pittsburgh Pirates optioned 2B Kevin Kramer to Indianapolis Indians. 09/04/2018 Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of Kevin Kramer from Indianapolis Indians. 04/05/2018 2B Kevin Kramer assigned to Indianapolis Indians from Altoona Curve. 01/22/2018 Pittsburgh Pirates invited non-roster 2B Kevin Kramer to spring training. 09/09/2017 Altoona Curve activated 2B Kevin Kramer from the 7-day disabled list. 09/03/2017 Altoona Curve sent 2B Kevin Kramer on a rehab assignment to West Virginia Black Bears. 09/02/2017 Altoona Curve sent 2B Kevin Kramer on a rehab assignment to GCL Pirates. 09/02/2017 Altoona Curve sent 2B Kevin Kramer on a rehab assignment to GCL Pirates. 06/11/2017 Altoona Curve placed 2B Kevin Kramer on the 7-day disabled list. Fractured right hand. 04/01/2017 2B Kevin Kramer assigned to Altoona Curve from Bradenton Marauders. 02/25/2017 2B Kevin Kramer assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates. 04/05/2016 2B Kevin Kramer assigned to Bradenton Marauders from West Virginia Power. 08/25/2015 3B Kevin Kramer assigned to West Virginia Power from West Virginia Black Bears. 06/17/2015 Pittsburgh Pirates signed 3B Kevin Kramer.
