James Louis Kremmel (February 28, 1949 – October 12, 2012) was an American left-handed pitcher who spent two seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Texas Rangers (1973) and Chicago Cubs (1974).

Jim Kremmel
Pitcher
Born: (1949-02-28)February 28, 1949
Belleville, Illinois, U.S.
Died: October 12, 2012(2012-10-12) (aged 63)
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
July 4, 1973, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 1974, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
Win–loss record0–4
Earned run average6.08
Strikeouts28
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Born in Belleville, Illinois, on February 28, 1949, Kremmel was raised in nearby Columbia. He graduated from Columbia High School.[1]

He attended the University of New Mexico, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Economics in 1971.[2] A four-year letterman on the Lobos baseball team, he threw the only documented nine-inning no-hitter in school history in a 1–0 win over Arizona in Tucson on April 17, 1970. He had matched the school record for most strikeouts in a single game with 18 against Eastern New Mexico University less than three weeks earlier on March 30, 1970. His 356 career strikeouts are still a school record. Named the All-Western Athletic Conference pitcher in 1969 and 1970,[3] he ended his college career with a 22–14 record.[4]

He was originally picked by the Cleveland Indians in the seventh round (146th overall) of the 1970 MLB draft,[5] but chose not to sign. Selected ninth overall by the Washington Senators in the secondary phase of the January Free Agent Amateur Draft in 1971,[6] he signed with the ballclub four months later on May 24.[4] He is tied with Duane Ward (1982) for the third-highest draft pick of players hailing from New Mexico, behind shortstop Alex Bregman, who was selected with the second pick in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft,[7] and third baseman D. J. Peterson was selected in the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.

He was traded by the Rangers to the St. Louis Cardinals for Don Durham on July 16, 1973.[8] Kremmel was dealt twice after the conclusion of the 1973 season. He first went to the Chicago White Sox for Dennis O'Toole on October 26. He was then sent to the crosstown Cubs on December 18 to complete a transaction from a week earlier on December 11 in which Ron Santo was dealt to the White Sox for Steve Swisher, Steve Stone and Ken Frailing.[9]

Kremmel died at age 63 in Spokane, Washington, on October 12, 2012.[10]

References

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  1. ^ James Louis Kremmel (obituary) Archived October 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Heritage Funeral Home & Crematory (Spokane, WA)
  2. ^ "Resume – Jim Kremmel, MA, MBA, LMHC (official website)". Archived from the original on July 5, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  3. ^ "University of New Mexico Lobos Baseball 2012 History and Records Book" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 20, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Senators sign college pitcher"[permanent dead link], Associated Press, Tuesday, May 25, 1971
  5. ^ 1970 Major League Baseball draft, Rounds 1–10 Pro Sports Transactions
  6. ^ "Jim Kremmel Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. ^ Kevin Hendricks (June 7, 2015). "Bregman can make NM history". Albuquerque Journal.
  8. ^ Eisenbath, Mike. The Cardinals Encyclopedia, page 569. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1999
  9. ^ "White Sox Finish Trade for Santo," United Press International (UPI), Tuesday, December 18, 1973. Retrieved October 30, 2020
  10. ^ Price, Jim. "Former Indians pitcher Kremmel dies", The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), Monday, October 22, 2012
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