Connor William Kaiser (born November 20, 1996) is an American professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2023 for the Colorado Rockies.
| Connor Kaiser | |
|---|---|
| Free agent | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: November 20, 1996 Shawnee Mission, Kansas, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 19, 2023, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
| Batting average | .000 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 0 |
| Teams | |
Career
editAmateur career
editKaiser attended Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kansas,[1] and Vanderbilt University, where he played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. In 2017, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2] During the 2018 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, Kaiser tied a school-record with three home runs and an NCAA tournament record with 10 runs batted in (RBIs) during a game against the Clemson Tigers.[3]
Pittsburgh Pirates
editThe Pittsburgh Pirates selected Kaiser in the third round, with the 86th overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[4] He signed with the Pirates and made his professional debut with the Low–A West Virginia Black Bears, also appearing for the Single–A West Virginia Power later in the year.[5] In 2019, he played for the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Across 79 appearances, Kaiser batted .200/.331/.325 with career–highs in home runs (7) and RBI (36).[6]
Kaiser did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] He returned to action in 2021, and spent the year with the Double–A Altoona Curve, also playing in 5 games for the Triple–A Indianapolis Indians. In 48 games in Altoona, he struggled to a .195/.280/.322 batting line with 4 home runs and 14 RBI.[8] Kaiser began the 2022 season with Triple–A Indianapolis, but played in just three games before he was released by the Pirates organization on May 4, 2022.[9]
San Diego Padres
editOn May 10, 2022, Kaiser signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres organization.[10] He played in 54 games for the Double–A San Antonio Missions, hitting .202/.299/.360 with 7 home runs, 28 RBI, and 9 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.[11]
Colorado Rockies
editOn December 9, 2022, Kaiser signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies organization.[12] He began the 2023 season with the Triple–A Albuquerque Isotopes, playing in 50 games and hitting .278/.376/.506 with 7 home runs, 26 RBI, and 6 stolen bases.[13] On June 19, 2023, the Rockies selected Kaiser's contract to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time.[14] In 3 contests for Colorado, Kaiser went hitless in 4 at–bats. He was designated for assignment by the Rockies on July 2, following the promotion of Fernando Abad.[15] Kaiser cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Albuquerque on July 4.[16] On November 6, he elected free agency.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Overland Park gym training athletes of all abilities". Fox4kc.com. November 24, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "#7 Connor Kaiser - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ "Vanderbilt vs. Clemson: Connor Kaiser leads rout as Commodores head to Super Regional". Tennessean.com. June 3, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "2018 MLB draft: Vanderbilt SS Connor Kaiser highlights Day 2 picks". Tennessean.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ White, Joey (June 29, 2018). "Connor Kaiser Profile". MiLB.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ Bumbaca, Chris (May 30, 2019). "Pittsburgh Pirates' Connor Kaiser hops right back into action". MiLB.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "Connor Kaiser". pirates.pittsburghbaseball.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "Connor Kaiser Stats & Scouting Report". baseballamerica.com. November 15, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: May 10". madfriars.com. May 11, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "2022-23 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". baseballamerica.com. November 13, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "Connor Kaiser Stats, Fantasy & News". milb.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "Connor Kaiser - Stats, - Batting". fangraphs.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ Darragh McDonald (June 19, 2023). "Rockies Select Connor Kaiser". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "Rockies' Connor Kaiser: DFA'd by Colorado". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ "Rockies' Connor Kaiser: Outrighted to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2024). "Minor League Free Agents 2024". Baseball America. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)