Fresno remembers former Grizzlies player Jon Kemmer after fatal Texas crash

Jon Kemmer’s Fresno years were defined by more than power at the plate. The former Grizzlies outfielder, who died in a Texas crash after coaching his youth team, left behind a reputation in Fresno as a dependable presence in the clubhouse and a familiar face in the community.

Kemmer, who appeared in nearly 300 games for the Fresno Grizzlies from 2016 through 2018, made his mark during the club’s run as a Houston Astros affiliate at Chukchansi Park. Former Fresno Grizzlies President Derek Franks, who spent 22 years with the organization, remembered Kemmer as the kind of player who felt familiar right away, the sort of person whose presence carried the same weight in the clubhouse as it did around town.

His Fresno production backed up that reputation. MiLB coverage recorded a five-hit, one-home run game in April 2017, then a six-RBI night in July 2017 when Fresno pounded Las Vegas, 22-8. Those performances helped cement Kemmer as one of the more recognizable bats from that stretch of Grizzlies baseball, when the team was tied closely to the Astros pipeline and to the daily rhythms of summer baseball in Fresno.

Kemmer’s death has resonated here because his connection to baseball extended well beyond his Fresno box scores. His obituary says he coached the HTX Battle Bucks 14U travel team in Texas, worked at Hall’s Bayou Ranch and still returned to his hometown of Shippenville, Pennsylvania, several times a year to give baseball lessons. Friends and former teammates also pointed to visits to Valley Children’s Hospital and his willingness to help youth players, details that reinforced the image Fresno fans had of him as a steady, generous presence.

Galveston County officials said Kemmer’s vehicle left FM 2004 in Santa Fe, Texas, just after 6 p.m. Sunday, struck an electric pole and rolled over. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 35.

Born Nov. 17, 1990, in Shippenville, Kemmer graduated from Clarion Area High School in 2009 and played at Allegany College of Maryland, Clarion University and Brewton-Parker College before the Houston Astros drafted him in the 21st round of the 2013 MLB Draft, 617th overall. He spent seven seasons in the minors and two in Mexico before retiring in 2021. His career minor-league line included 2,356 at-bats, 667 hits, 116 home runs and 381 RBIs.

Kemmer married Kourtney Krampota on March 2, 2022. They had two children, Jacklin Joyce Kemmer and Forest Todd Kemmer. A GoFundMe set up by the family says memorial funds will help support Kourtney and the children and cover funeral or memorial expenses.