Former minor league outfielder and prospect for the Houston Astros, Jon Kemmer died after a car accident in Texas over the weekend.
Kemmer, 35, was en route to his home in Santa Fe after coaching a youth travel tournament for the HTX Battle Bucks 14U team in Houston, when he was killed in a roll-over crash on April 12 in Galveston County.
It is unclear what led to the crash, and Kemmer was pronounced dead at the scene. The Epoch Times reached out to the Galveston Serriff’s Department for further information on the matter, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Born in Shippenville, Pennsylvania, Kemmer was a 2009 graduate of Clarion Area High School and a standout baseball star. He further pursued his athletic career at Allegany College of Maryland, then Clarion University and later Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia.
In 2013, he was a 21st round MLB draft pick by the Houston Astros, where he steadily rose through the organization’s minor league system for seven seasons.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Jon Kemmer over the weekend,” the Astros said in a statement released on April 13.
“Jon was drafted by the Astros in 2013 and developed into one of the organization’s most productive players, advancing to the Triple A level and also appearing in several Spring Training games.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jon’s family and friends during this very difficult time.”
According to his obituary, Kemmer lived by his father’s words: “No pressure, just opportunity,“ with his wife of four years Kourtney Krampota, noting her husband’s biggest dream was to ”just to play in an official game for that team.”
In 2015, Kemmer was named Texas Player of the Month and Post-Season All-Star for the Corpus Christi Hooks, as well as MiLB.com Organization All-Star for the Astros.
During his professional career, he spent time in the farm systems of the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers, while also playing internationally in Mexico before his retirement in 2021.
Kemmer went on to settle in Santa Fe, where he remained involved in the sport through coaching. He would also return to his hometown several times a year to give baseball lessons at “The Garage,” an indoor sports facility.
Kemmer is survived by his wife, their children, Jacklin Joyce and Forest Todd, along with his parents and brothers Neil and Scot Kemmer.
