Erik Kratz

Erik Floyd Kratz (born June 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Yankees during an 11-year career. Kratz was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 29th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. While playing college baseball for the Eastern Mennonite Royals (1999–2002), Kratz caught every at bat (AB) for every game he played in and was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year twice. In his senior year, he batted .507/.563/.993, with 25 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, and 59 runs batted in (RBI), in 142 AB, and broke the NCAA Division III record for doubles in a career.

Professional career Toronto Blue Jays Kratz was selected by the Blue Jays in the 29th round, the 866th overall pick, of the 2002 MLB draft. There, Kratz batted .205/.283/.353, with 11 home runs, and 34 RBI. Kratz played the 2009 season with the Indianapolis Indians and finished batting .273/.337/.470, with 11 home runs, and 43 RBI.

Kratz made his MLB debut on July 17, 2010, against the Houston Astros. and went on to play two games with the Phillies, recording two hits in six at bats. but was placed on the disabled list on June 9 with a torn medial meniscus and underwent surgery. Kratz returned to the club on July 21, and continued as backup catcher thereafter. He finished the season batting .213/.280/.386, with 42 hits, 9 home runs, and 26 RBI.

Toronto Blue Jays (second stint) On December 3, 2013, Kratz, along with pitcher Rob Rasmussen, was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Brad Lincoln. Kratz had a strong spring, batting .400 before being demoted to minor-league camp in favor of Josh Thole.

On March 30, Kratz was recalled from Triple-A after Casey Janssen was placed on the disabled list. Kratz appeared in six games for the Blue Jays before being optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons to make room for J. A. Happ. Kratz was later recalled and played in 34 games with the Blue Jays, batting .198, with 3 home runs, and 10 RBI before being traded.

Kansas City Royals

On July 28, 2014, Kratz was traded with Liam Hendriks to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Danny Valencia. He had his first career multi-homer game on August 18 in a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins. Kratz batted .276/.290/.517 in 29 at bats for KC.

Boston Red Sox On June 21, 2015, Kratz was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox. He was designated for assignment on June 25, and elected free agency on June 29.

Seattle Mariners Kratz signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners on July 2, 2015. He was released on July 15.

Philadelphia Phillies (second stint) On July 17, 2015, Kratz signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He slashed .312/.433/.558 for the Triple–A Lehigh Valley IronPigs across 77 at–bats.

Houston Astros On December 11, 2015, Kratz signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres.

On March 28, 2016, Kratz was traded to the Houston Astros for pitcher Dan Straily. On April 26, he was pressed into service as a pitcher during a blowout with the Astros. After 29 at–bats, Kratz was designated for assignment on May 16 and released on May 22.

Los Angeles Angels On May 27, 2016, Kratz agreed to a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels. He had 39 at bats for their Triple–A team, the Salt Lake Bees. On June 21, he became the first player since 1879 to pitch and catch for two different major league teams in a single year. He tossed a scoreless inning while forced into relief for the Pirates in a 15-4 loss to the Giants. Kratz allowed two hits and struck out Brandon Belt for his first out of the inning. After 56 at bats, Kratz was designated for assignment on July 19, and elected free agency on July 22.

Toronto Blue Jays (third stint) On July 28, 2016, Kratz signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays organization. In 19 games with the Triple–A Buffalo Bisons, Kratz hit .155 with one RBI.

Cleveland Indians On December 1, 2016, Kratz signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. With their Triple–A team, the Columbus Clippers, he batted .270/.359/.472, with 13 home runs and 37 RBI, in 282 at bats. The Yankees promoted him to the major leagues the next day. Kratz appeared in his first game for the Yankees as a pinch hitter, on September 10, hitting a two-RBI double. For the 2017 Yankees regular season, he had two hits in two at bats. In 2018, playing for the team's AAA affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Kratz batted .269/.356/.538 in 52 at bats. On June 16, the Yankees received Wendell Rijo to complete the trade. During the regular season, Kratz hit .236/.280/.355, with 6 homers, and 23 RBI, in a career-high 219 plate appearances. In the NLDS against the Rockies, he went 5-for-7 with 2 RBI, including a 3-hit game in the series-clinching Game 3, and was the oldest player to make his postseason debut since Lave Cross of the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics. As of September 2018, Kratz had played for 30 minor league teams, and 11 major league franchises, in 17 seasons.

San Francisco Giants On March 24, 2019, Kratz was traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for C.J. Hinojosa. He was the 3rd-oldest player in the NL. Kratz batted .222 in 32 at bats, and was designated for assignment on May 13.

Tampa Bay Rays On May 16, 2019, Kratz was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor league pitcher Matt Seelinger. Kratz had one hit for the Rays in 17 at bats over six games. He was the 4th-oldest player in the AL. On May 31, Kratz was designated for assignment and received his release shortly afterward.

New York Yankees (second stint) On June 8, 2019, Kratz signed a minor league deal with the Yankees. He batted .299/.375/.500, with 7 home runs, and 31 RBI, in 154 at-bats for the Triple–A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Kratz re-signed with the Yankees on a minor league contract for the 2020 season. He was called up to the Yankees on August 8 after an injury to Kyle Higashioka. During a pre-game interview in early September, Kratz became emotional when asked about his influence and role in helping young pitchers, particularly Latin pitchers develop their game and succeed at the major league level. Kratz said "I love seeing what they can do... I think sometimes some people forget where they come from, some people forget that they want (to succeed) just as badly, and there's people back home who want it just as badly for them."

In 2020, Kratz was the third-oldest player in MLB at age 39.

On November 6, 2020, Kratz announced his retirement in a video posted to Google and his Twitter account.

International career On October 10, 2019, he was selected for the United States national baseball team in the 2019 WBSC Premier12. In the tournament, he batted .381/.435/.714, with two home runs, and three RBI, in 21 at bats. Kratz was named the best catcher in the tournament.

Post-playing career In March 2021, Kratz was teaching baseball at a middle school near his hometown. In 2021 he said the Colorado Rockies team in the 2018 playoffs had been cheating using a "sign stealing" method. He made the allegation on YES Network that the system involved banging a Theragun on a metal bench. In March 2022, Kratz joined the Phillies radio broadcast team as a part-time color analyst. In July 2023, Kratz's experiences as a catcher (as well as other MLB backup catchers) was chronicled in The Tao of the Backup Catcher: Playing Baseball for the Love of the Game, co-written with bestselling author and sportswriter Tim Brown. Kratz now is a co-host on the YouTube Podcast "Foul Territory" with ex-MLB Network on air talent Scott Braun, and other MLB players such as Jason Kipnis and A.J. Pierzynski.

Personal life Kratz is a member of the Souderton, Pennsylvania Mennonite Church. Up until 2009, he worked a construction job in the winter to support his family. Kratz and wife Sarah have two sons and a daughter.

Kratz is now a host of the Foul Territory Podcast, alongside Scott Braun and A. J. Pierzynski.