The Pittsburgh Pirates are a team that must live and die by its prospects. In a new series, PBD will project each of the team’s Top 20 prospects in 2017.
Welcome to a new recurring series here at Pirates Breakdown in which we count down and project the 2017 seasons for each of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Top 20 prospects, ranked as per MLB Pipeline.
Today we look at the club’s #18 prospect overall, one half of the “Seinfeld Infield” – Kevin Kramer.
Prospect Primer
Kevin Kramer was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 62nd overall pick (2nd round) in the 2015 MLB draft.
It served Kramer well to seek out a collegiate career as he was originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 25th round in 2011. Kramer played collegiate baseball at UCLA where he was literally all over the infield. Kramer showed that he could play second, Short, and third. Kramer was consistently one of the best overall hitters in the Bruins line-up during his time in California. He boasted a .323 average in his senior season at UCLA with 14 doubles. The Pittsburgh Pirates have high hopes for Kramer. Are they right to have them?
Strengths
The first-yer pro enjoyed nice success at the plate for the West Virginia Black Bears and West Virginia Power in his debut season.
Between the two affiliates, he averaged .291 in 265 plate appearances. He also did an excellent job getting on base, as his OBP ended at .375 combined. Kramer did an excellent job adjusting to different pitching styles that he saw as a pro in his first season. Whether a pitcher attempted to come after Kramer with velocity or deception, he handled himself fine.
He followed 2015 up with another solid season in 2016. He batted .277 and still maintained a strong .352 OBP. High-A Bradenton did challenge Kramer more, but he seemed to adjust over time with a strong finish. Another strength that must be mentioned within Kramer’s game is his versatility. The kid is literally known to play anywhere on the infield. If you look up his college stats, he is listed as an “infielder,” rather than any single position.
That versatility will only help him going forward in his professional career.
Areas of Improvement
One area that Kramer needs to work on is the element of generating more power in his swing.
Kramer may be one of the best “pure” hitters in the entire Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system, but he has not showcased much pop as of yet. However, there is room for growth in Kramer’s frame, as he currently is listed at 6’1” 190 lbs.
As Kramer matures, he may be able to fill out that frame to a muscular 215 or so, while maintaining his defensive versatility. In 2016 while playing with the Bradenton Marauders, Kramer only hit 4 long balls in 513 plate appearances. There is certainly room for growth in that department. While never projected to hit for much power, a bit more pop can keep opposing pitchers honest.
Where He Starts 2017
Erich Weiss currently occupies the starting second baseman job in Double-A Altoona. It is likely that Weiss will hold that spot thru the beginning of this season. With that said, it would be reasonable to assume that Kramer will start the season as Bradenton’s starting second baseman.
This will give Kramer more time to work on his offensive approach, already advanced as it is.
Where He Ends 2017
The odds are high that Kramer will be starting at second base in Altoona by the end of the 2017 season, barring injuries.
Often overshadows by his draft class-mate Kevin Newman, Kramer is worth getting excited over in his own right. He has great versatility on defense and knows how to put the bat on the ball. He has drawn comparisons to the hometown kid, Neil Walker, by MLB Pipeline. There is a plenty to like about him going forward, the Pittsburgh Pirates are fortunate to have this kid in their system.
[catposts]Featured Image Credit – Buck Davidson – Flickr Creative Commons
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
