Max Joseph Kranick (born July 21, 1997) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Amateur career

Kranick attended Valley View High School in

Archbald, Pennsylvania Archbald is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is named for James Archbald, the first mayor of Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Before being renamed in Archbald's honor, the name of ...

. For his high school career, he compiled a 1.17 ERA. After his senior year, he was selected by the

in the 11th round of the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

. He signed for $300,000, forgoing his commitment to the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Kranick made his professional debut that summer with the Rookie-level

Gulf Coast League Pirates The Florida Complex League Pirates are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The team plays its hom ...

, going 1–2 with a 2.43 ERA over nine games (six starts). In 2017, he split time between the Gulf Coast League and the

Bristol Pirates The Bristol Pirates were a Minor League Baseball team in Bristol, Virginia, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team played home games at DeVault Memorial Stadium. Opened in 1969, Devault Memorial Stadium ...

of the Rookie-level

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

, compiling a combined 1–0 record and 1.11 ERA over five starts. He spent 2018 with the

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a MLB Partner League, partner league ...

of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

, going 4–5 with a 3.81 ERA over 17 games (16 starts), and 2019 with the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, pitching to a 6–7 record and 3.79 ERA over twenty starts. On November 20, 2020, Kranick was added to Pittsburgh's 40-man roster. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

of the Double-A Northeast. In late May, he was promoted to the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

of the Triple-A East League. On June 27, 2021, Kranick was promoted to the major leagues to make his MLB debut as the starting pitcher versus the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. He threw five perfect innings, striking out three batters, before a rain delay occurred and he was removed. He set the record for the most batters retired to begin a major league career with 15. Over nine starts with the Pirates, Kranick went 2–3 with a 6.28 ERA and 32 strikeouts over innings. Kranick opened the 2022 season with Indianapolis before he underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

in early June, forcing him out indefinitely. He was activated from the injured list on September 1, 2023, but did not appear in the majors for Pittsburgh. On January 5, 2024, Kranick was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Pirates.

New York Mets

On January 12, 2024, Kranick was claimed off waivers by the

. After beginning the year on the injured list, he made 6 starts split between the Single–A

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

, Double–A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

, and Triple–A

Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which ope ...

, accumulating a 4.30 ERA with 13 strikeouts across innings pitched. On May 6, Kranick was designated for assignment by the Mets. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Syracuse on May 11. He had his contract selected back to the major league roster again on October 1. Kranick was named to the Mets'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster for the 2025 season. Kranick was optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse on June 3 before being called back to the active roster on June 13. In 24 appearances for the Mets, he logged a 3-2 record and 3.65 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 37 innings of work. On July 18, it was announced that Kranick would require Tommy John surgery for the second time, ruling him out for the remainder of the year.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kranick, Max 1997 births Living people Altoona Curve players Baseball players from Scranton, Pennsylvania Binghamton Rumble Ponies players Bradenton Marauders players Bristol Pirates players Gulf Coast Pirates players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players Peoria Javelinas players Pittsburgh Pirates players St. Lucie Mets players Syracuse Mets players West Virginia Power players 21st-century American sportsmen