Erik Kratz, Catcher

Date of Birth: 6/15/1980
Birthplace: Telford, Pennsylvania
College: Eastern Mennonite University

Erik Kratz, catcher, was first drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002. He played in the Blue Jays' minor league system from 2002 through 2008. In January, 2009, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in their minor league system in 2009 and most of 2010, joining the Pirates for just nine games that season.

Kratz signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in November, 2010. He continued in the minor leagues through most of 2012. He played in just two games with the Phillies in 2011 and in 50 games with them in 2012.

In 2013, Kratz was the Phillies' backup catcher but his playing time was limited to 68 games due to injuries and surgery. In 2013, he had 42 hits and a .213 batting average. As a catcher, he made 26 assists, 414 putouts, and 1 error in 60 games.

In December, 2013, Kratz was traded to the Blue Jays. After 34 games with the Blue Jays in 2014, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals. In his time with the Blue Jays in 2014, he had just 16 hits and a .198 batting average. Defensively, he caught 25 games and he made 141 putouts with no errors.

Kratz was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox on June 21, 2015. Four days later, he was designated for assignment. He signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners on July 2, 2015, but the team released him 13 days later. On July 17th, he agreed to return to the Phillies on a minor league contract. He played in just 12 games with the Phillies and 4 games with the Royals in 2015. He also played 51 games in the minors.

Kratz signed with the San Diego Padres on November 19, 2015. He was traded to the Houston Astros on March 28, 2016. The Astros designated him for assignment on May 16, 2016 and released him on May 22nd. Five days later, he signed with the Los Angeles Angels. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 11th.

Kratz was released by the Pirates on July 23, 2016. Five days later, he signed once again with the Blue Jays. He split his time in 2016 between the minors and the majors, playing in 15 games with the Astros and 18 games with the Pirates. He didn't play with the Angels.

Kratz signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians on December 1, 2016. He was traded to the New York Yankees on August 31, 2017. He spent most of the 2017 season in the minors, playing in just 4 games with the Yankees.

The Yankees traded Kratz to the Milwaukee Brewers on May 25, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 48 hits and a .236 batting average in 67 games. As a catcher in 61 games, he made 508 putouts and 3 errors. He caught players trying to steal 29.5% of the time and he had a .994 fielding percentage. In his first postseason, he had 7 hits, 2 doubles, and 3 RBIs in 24 at-bats in 9 games. He struck out 6 times and walked once, and he had a .292 batting average.

The Brewers traded Kratz to the San Francisco Giants on March 24, 2019. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on May 16th, and he was released on June 5th. He returned to the Yankees on a minor league contract on June 8th. He spent most of the 2019 season on the DL and in the minors, playing in just 15 games with the Giants and 6 games with the Rays.

Katz became a free agent on November 4, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Yankees on February 3, 2020. He played in just 16 games in 2020.

Kratz became a free agent again on October 28, 2020. He didn't play professional baseball in 2021.

Personal Life

Kratz and his wife Sarah have two sons.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Erik Kratz
ESPN - Erik Kratz