PHOTO: Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Max Kranick working out at Riverfront Sports in January.
Valley View graduate Max Kranick is pitching on the Triple-A level, one step from the Major Leagues, during his fifth season of professional baseball.
Kranick is on the Pittsburgh Pirates 40-man roster while he pitches for the organization’s top farm team in Indianapolis.
Kranick began the season at Double-A Altoona where he made three starts before being promoted to Indianapolis in time to make his debut on that level June 1.
The 23-year-old right-hander is 1-2 with a 4.66 earned run average at Indianapolis after taking the loss Friday in his most recent start. In 19 1/3 innings, he has struck out 20 and walked 7 while giving up 20 hits.
Kranick has an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio throughout his professional.
An 11th-round pick by the Pirates in the Major League Draft in 2016, he made his professional debut that summer.
In 280 career innings, he has 230 strikeouts and 67 walks. He is 14-16 while starting in 54 of his 58 career appearances. He has one complete game, one save and a 3.47 ERA.
With minor-league activity shut down by the pandemic in 2020, Kranick did not appear in any games.
Kranick was 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA at Altoona to begin this season. He struck out 16 while walking 2 in 15 2/3 innings.
