Max Joseph Kranick (born July 21, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Max Kranick
Kranick with the Indianapolis Indians in 2023
New York Mets – No. 32
Pitcher
Born: (1997-07-21) July 21, 1997 (age 26)
Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 27, 2021, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
(through 2022 season)
Win–loss record2–3
Earned run average5.56
Strikeouts36
Teams

Amateur career edit

Kranick attended Valley View High School in Archbald, Pennsylvania. For his high school career, he compiled a 1.17 ERA.[1] After his senior year, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[2] He signed for $300,000, forgoing his commitment to the University of Virginia.[3]

Professional career edit

Pittsburgh Pirates edit

Kranick made his professional debut that summer with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates, going 1–2 with a 2.43 ERA over nine games (six starts).[4] In 2017, he split time between the Gulf Coast League and the Bristol Pirates of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, compiling a combined 1–0 record and 1.11 ERA over five starts.[5] He spent 2018 with the West Virginia Power of the Single–A South Atlantic League, going 4–5 with a 3.81 ERA over 17 games (16 starts), and 2019 with the Bradenton Marauders of the High–A Florida State League, pitching to a 6–7 record and 3.79 ERA over twenty starts.[6]

On November 20, 2020, Kranick was added to Pittsburgh's 40-man roster.[7] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Altoona Curve of the Double-A Northeast.[8] In late May, he was promoted to the Indianapolis Indians of the Triple-A East League.[9]

On June 27, 2021, Kranick was promoted to the major leagues to make his MLB debut as the starting pitcher versus the St. Louis Cardinals.[10] He threw five perfect innings, striking out three batters, before a rain delay occurred and he was removed.[11][12] He set the record for the most batters retired to begin a major league career with 15.[13] Over nine starts with the Pirates, Kranick went 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 38+23 innings.[14]

Kranick opened the 2022 season with Indianapolis before he underwent Tommy John surgery in early June, forcing him out indefinitely.[15] He was activated from the injured list on September 1, 2023,[16] but did not appear in the majors for Pittsburgh. On January 5, 2024, Kranick was designated for assignment by the Pirates.[17]

New York Mets edit

On January 12, 2024, Kranick was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets.[18]

References edit

  1. ^ Foley, Conor (December 31, 2019). "HS Baseball: Your Lackawanna League All-Decade team". Access NEPA. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  2. ^ Foley, Conor (12 June 2016). "Pittsburgh Pirates select Valley View's Kranick in 11th round | High School". thetimes-tribune.com. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates' Prospect Spotlight: Max Kranick | Sports Illustrated Pittsburgh Pirates News, Analysis and More". Si.com. 20 January 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  4. ^ Hennigan, Shane (29 January 2017). "BASEBALL: Local pros ready for spring training, upcoming seasons | Sports". citizensvoice.com. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  5. ^ Irwin, Luke (February 15, 2018). "Three under-the-radar Pittsburgh Pirates prospects to watch". The Sports Daily. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  6. ^ "Pirates' Max Kranick: Protected from Rule 5 draft". CBSSports.com. November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  7. ^ Adams, Steve (November 20, 2020). "Pirates Designate Trevor Williams For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  8. ^ Tribune-Democrat, The (3 May 2021). "Curve roster for 2021 season loaded with top Pirates prospects". The Tribune-Democrat.
  9. ^ "Curve carve their own niche with 12th road victory". altoonamirror.com. June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  10. ^ Foley, Conor (27 June 2021). "Pittsburgh Pirates to call up Kranick". Scranton Times-Tribune.
  11. ^ Mackey, Jason (June 27, 2021). "Max Kranick dazzles in MLB debut, as Pirates take series from Cardinals". post-gazette.com. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  12. ^ Crouse, Jake (June 27, 2021). "Kranick throws five perfect frames in debut". mlb.com. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  13. ^ SABR. "SABR Records newsletter, December 2021". Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Pirates a to Z: From perfect debut to strong finish, Max Kranick showed he can be a starter". 13 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Sources: Max Kranick underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday".
  16. ^ "Pirates select Miguel Andújar, reinstate Carmen Mlodzinski in flurry of roster moves". bucsdugout.com. September 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Pirates Designate Max Kranick for Assignment". 5 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Mets Claim Max Kranick From Pirates". mlbtraderumors.com. 12 January 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.

External links edit