Pirates A to Z: From perfect debut to strong finish, Max Kranick showed he can be a starter
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During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Anthony Alford to pitcher Miguel Yajure.
Player: Max Kranick
Position: Pitcher
Throws: Right
Bats: Right
Age: 24
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 210 pounds
2021 MLB statistics: Kranick was 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA and 1.71 WHIP over 38 2/3 innings in nine starts.
Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2025.
Acquired: Selected by Pirates in 11th round of 2016 MLB Draft.
This past season: Kranick hadn’t pitched above High-A when the Pirates added their No. 28 prospect to the 40-man roster last year, so it’s safe to say he took an unconventional path to the majors.
It started with altering his arm pattern during baseball’s four-month shutdown, shortening his throwing motion while working with his father on a homemade mound and touching the upper 90s with his fastball.
Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Max Kranick (Valley View) hit 98.7 mph in a bullpen session today. pic.twitter.com/5cKB9XyKEs
— Conor Foley (@RailRidersTT) June 17, 2020
“It was definitely a risk,” Kranick said. “Going home from spring training and having a sore arm before even playing any games, I looked in the mirror and said, ‘Change needs to be done.’ So we took that time very seriously during quarantine and dug into some stuff, and I’m happy it’s all paying off so quickly.”
The Pirates saw the results at their alternate training site in Altoona, where Kranick likely would have started the 2020 season. Instead, he skipped straight to Triple-A and was there only a few weeks before getting called up to pitch for the Pirates after Mitch Keller was optioned to Indianapolis and Trevor Cahill went on the injured list.
Kranick’s major league debut was simply perfect.
He tossed five perfect innings in a 7-2 win at St. Louis, retiring all 15 batters he faced before being pulled because of a 64-minute rain delay. Kranick became the fourth Pirates pitcher since 2010 to be perfect through five innings, joining A.J. Burnett, Nick Kingham and Jeff Locke, and made history as the first major-leaguer since 1893 with a perfect completed start of at least five innings in his MLB debut.
9 up, 9 down for @Pirates prospect Max Kranick in his MLB debut so far. pic.twitter.com/oiXcN9vCBS
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 27, 2021
Kranick called it a day he would remember forever.
“It kind of dawned on me once I got to the clubhouse,” Kranick said. “I feel like every pitch I threw was the biggest pitch of my life. I was tunneled in. It was a crazy feeling, an unbelievable feeling.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton was impressed by Kranick’s composure, especially under the circumstances. Not only was he making his debut but also pitching in a pouring rain from the start. Kranick executed his fastball, throwing only 50 pitches and striking out three Cardinals.
“He was in a good spot. As long as he stayed efficient, he was probably going to stay in the game,” Shelton said. “He was in control of the game the whole time, and that’s impressive for not only a young pitcher, but a pitcher making his major-league debut.”
The dynamic debut didn’t keep Kranick in the majors. He was sent back to Indianapolis, where he was 4-4 with a 4.14 ERA in 54 1/3 innings over 12 starts, and bounced back and forth during the season. Kranick vowed not to allow the up-and-down nature affect his pitching.
“Wherever I am, it’s the same game,” Kranick said, “and back to work tomorrow and just continue to work on what I’ve been working on.”
Where Kranick threw his four-seamer on 48.5% of his pitches, he learned to mix speeds with his slider (31.8%) while keeping hitters off balance with a curveball and changeup. That helped control his pace, which he showed in four starts with the Pirates in September.
“It’s something I do intentionally,” Kranick said of throwing sliders at different speeds. “Sometimes, just to get ahead in the count, I’ll kind of flip one in there, got to make sure it’s in the zone. The hard one would be more of a strikeout pitch, I guess.”
Speaking of strikeouts, one of Kranick’s biggest came against Philadelphia Phillies All-Star catcher JT Realmuto in front of 50 family members and friends for the former Valley View star. With two outs and two runners on base, Kranick got Realmuto swinging at a slider to end the third inning. In a similar situation, Kranick later got Realmuto to ground into a forceout to end the fifth in the 6-0 win on Sept. 26.
“It’s a big moment in his development,” Shelton said. “Moments like those are really important. The first time, there is traffic on the bases then the second time we put him in a situation where he had to pitch to him (Realmuto) because we had the base open and walked Bryce (Harper). To give him a chance to get the win and get out of that inning, that’s a huge moment for him to be able to get through that part of their order, and it was really a positive growth moment for Max and I’m excited for him.”
"Just to know that I am a part of the team’s future plans was really, really exciting for me.”
Catching up with @MaxKranick. pic.twitter.com/6yxiImzFS0
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) May 17, 2021
The future: Kranick will get an opportunity this spring to make the starting rotation.
He’s going to have some competition, however, as the Pirates are expected to return lefties Steven Brault and Dillon Peters and right-handers Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker and Bryse Wilson, along with fellow rookies Roansy Contreras and Miguel Yajure.
The Pirates also have indicated that they would like to sign a few veterans, like they did last year with Tyler Anderson and Cahill. Kranick could start the season at Indianapolis and continue to make spot starts, but he’s at the point of his career where he should show he can stay.