NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
A former baseball prospect turned coach and instructor was killed near where he once sought to make a name for himself in the big leagues.
Former Houston Astros minor leaguer Jon Kemmer was 35 when he was killed this weekend in a crash in Galveston County.
Explore Jefferson, an outlet near Kemmer’s hometown in Pennsylvania, said Kemmer was on his way from coaching a travel tournament in Houston to his home in Santa Fe, Texas, when he crashed.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Houston Astros outfielder Jon Kemmer singles against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 6, 2018. (Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports)
The outlet, citing the Galveston County medical examiner’s office, said Kemmer was driving on a rural road when his vehicle struck a utility pole shortly after 6 p.m. local time. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kemmer was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
Kemmer had coached the HTX Battle Bucks 14U travel baseball team at the Triple Play Classic in Houston, the outlet reported.
Houston Astros right fielder Jon Kemmer warms up before a game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida on March 16, 2018. (Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER, 20, KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING INTERSTATE
The Astros drafted Kemmer out of Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia, in the 21st round of the 2013 MLB Draft, and he reached Triple-A in 2019. However, the cancellation of the minor league season due to COVID-19 appears to have ended his career.
He competed in the Dominican Winter League in 2020, but his last minor league appearance was in 2019. His stint in the DWL was his last in professional baseball.
In Triple-A ball, he hit .265 with an .830 OPS in 362 total games, from 2016 to 2019. He also played for the Triple-A affiliates of the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kemmer also played in foreign minor leagues, hitting .355 with a 1.005 OPS at Mexico’s Triple-A level in 2019 before playing for the Oklahoma City Dodgers, Los Angeles’ Triple-A team. He participated in spring training with the Astros in 2017 and 2018.
Houston Astros right fielder Jon Kemmer plays against the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida on March 17, 2017. (Aaron Doster/USA Today Sports)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
Kemmer was a high school prodigy, hitting .727 during his senior year of high school. In his final college season, he hit .387 with a 1.206 OPS.
