Jon Kemmer, a former minor leaguer who played with the Astros, Twins and Dodgers, died over the weekend after getting into a rollover crash while returning home from coaching a youth baseball tournament, according to multiple reports.
He was 35.
Explore Jefferson, citing the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office in Texas, reported that Kemmer, while coming back from coaching the 14U HTX Battle Bucks at a tournament in Houston, was traveling on Farm to Market Road 2004 when his car left the road, struck an electrical pole and rolled over at about 6:09 p.m. local time.
He died on the scene.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Jon Kemmer over the weekend,” the Astros said in a statement Wednesday, according to Chron.com. “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.”
A standout player at Clarion High School in Pennsylvania, Kemmer, primarily an outfielder, played college baseball at Allegany College of Maryland, Clarion University and Brewton-Parker College before getting selected in the 21st round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Astros.
He spent the first four years of his career with the Astros organization, making it all the way to Triple-A.
His 2015 season with Double-A Corpus Christi proved to be his most fruitful, as he received multiple honors, including winning Texas League Player of the Month for August and getting named a postseason All-Star.
Kemmer was traded to the Twins in 2018 and later spent time in the Dodgers organization in 2019, the same year he also played in the Mexican League.
He later played in the Dominican Winter League during the 2020-21 campaign.
He finished his minor league career with 116 home runs and a .283/.366/.509 slash line.
Kemmer is survived by his wife, Kourtney, and their two children, according to an online obituary.
A celebration of life is slated to be held in Clarion in late May.
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