Pirates' Kevin Kramer motivated by daughter's birth

If Kevin Kramer was a shallow thinker without much ambition, he might have welcomed MLB’s roster expansion from 25 to 26 players. He might have seen it as an easier way to sneak onto the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2020 roster.

But Kramer, 26, responded to a question about 26-man rosters with a shrug. He doesn’t plan to sneak anymore.

He said during PirateFest last month he has greater goals than being the last guy on the bench, someone often forgotten by fans, if not management. He wants to make an impact somewhere.

“I’m working, so that doesn’t matter,” he said of the roster expansion. “I’m working to make adjustments where I’m not that bubble guy anymore.”

After all, he is playing for more than himself. Kramer and his wife, Riley, welcomed daughter Kennedy on Nov. 6.

“It definitely changes everything, perspective, everything,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, my No. 1 priority is her. That’s all that matters.

“I love baseball, still preparing to be the best baseball player I can be, but I’m going to be a father so much longer in my life than a baseball player.”

Kramer looks at his career through a different lens, but his growing family is part of what spurs him to train harder in the offseason.

“When I’m training, it just heightens that importance that when I’m there I have to be present and be focused on what I need to do every single day,” he said. “And when I get home, I’m home. I’ve prided myself on that balance of not thinking about the day, good or bad. When I get home from training, I’m dad. Now, let’s rock until I’m in the gym the next day.

“I play baseball. I’m not a baseball player only. I’m a person.”

By mastering the use of several gloves, Kramer could make himself a valuable person to manager Derek Shelton. He has played every infield position and both corner outfield slots. Most of his appearances, though, have been at second base.

He said there wasn’t much talk between himself and management through most of the offseason about where he might settle in the field.

“I can do whatever you need me to do,” Kramer said. “It’s my job to prepare that way. I don’t need any clarification on that. I’ll fill up the water cups. It doesn’t matter to me. I think my versatility can be a weapon for me.”

Kramer (6-foot, 200 pounds) was an accomplished athlete through high school in Turlock, Calif., where he hit .460 as a junior and threw for 1,037 yards and rushed for 1,119 more as a senior quarterback.

He was drafted in the 25th round by the Cleveland Indians in 2011, but he opted to go to UCLA. There, Kramer helped lead the Bruins to their first College World Series championship in 2013, defeating future teammate Adam Frazier’s Mississippi State team. Two years later, Kramer hit .323 and was the Pirates’ second-round draft choice.

Kramer progressed quickly through the system and hit .297 at Double-A Altoona in 2017 and compiled an on-base streak of 32 games after recovering from a broken bone in his hand.

The following season, he slashed .311/.365/.492 and hit 15 home runs with 59 RBIs while playing only the infield. Last season, he played six positions and his slash line was less impressive at .260/.335/.417 with 10 homers and 54 RBIs.

Two brief spells with the Pirates over the past two seasons netted only 90 plate appearances, a .152 average, a double and nine RBIs. But if Kramer can build on his minor league power, he could be a backup to shortstop Kevin Newman, second baseman Frazier or third baseman Colin Moran (perhaps all three). Plus, the Pirates need depth in the outfield after trading former starter Starling Marte.

“I’ve learned a lot, haven’t had success like I’ve wanted to,” he said. “I didn’t handle (struggles) as well as I would have liked. You get a little gut punch, and you need to bounce back quick. I would have liked to bounce back quicker.”

Which explains, beyond the birth of his daughter, why he worked so hard after last season.

“Sitting there and feeling sorry for yourself,” he said, “is not the way I’m approaching it.”

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