The Houston Astros family and the wider baseball community are in mourning following the tragic death of a former prospect. He spent his final hours on a baseball diamond, coaching the next generation of players, before a tragic roadside accident cut his own journey short at just 35.

“A former Astros player’s life was cut short in a tragic way. Jon Kemmer, a former Astros minor leaguer and youth coach, died in a Texas crash at just 35. He had just finished coaching a Houston-area team and was heading home when the accident happened, leaving behind a wife and two children,” Chron reported.

The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that Kemmer’s vehicle drifted off Farm to Market 2004 just after 6 p.m. on Sunday. The car struck an electric pole and rolled over, and first responders pronounced him dead at the scene.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Jon Kemmer over the weekend,” the Astros said in a statement. Considering the history between Kemmer and the Astros, it is surely one of the biggest tragedies in recent times for the franchise.

Back in 2013, Kemmer was drafted by the Astros out of Brewton-Parker College. In the next few years, his consistent numbers catapulted him to being one of the top prospects of the Astros. By 2016, Baseball America recognized him as the No. 13 prospect in Houston’s farm system. However, he ultimately peaked at the Triple-A level and never received a Major League call-up.

Still, Kemmer’s 34 HRs between 2016 and 2017 in the Triple-A showed his potential. He later signed a minor-league free-agent deal with the Dodgers in 2019. However, he was still not promoted to the MLB and played for Oklahoma City, slashing .252/.360/.445. Recently, he was coaching a travel baseball team and was just 35.

Kemmer is now survived by his wife, Kourtney, and two children. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.

The former Astros prospect just got added to an unwarranted list

MLB has a long list of its players who died in a road accident, and Kemmer just got added to that list.

One of the most infamous events was back in 2018, when former major league players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo were killed in a car crash caused by highway bandits who then robbed them. Valbuena was 33 then, and Castillo was 37. Reportedly, their car crashed as it tried to veer around an object on the road.

Another tragic incident was when the Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura and former D-Backs player Andy Marte died in a road accident in the Dominican Republic on the same day. They both passed away on January 22, 2017. Most recently, it was the Giants prospect, Antonio Jimenez, who was involved in a deadly car crash in the Dominican Republic that killed three others. Although Jimenez survived the accident, he suffered critical injuries. 

And in every incident, MLB was the one on the losing side. The league lost some of the best talents and prospects every time. For example, Ventura was known for this fearsome speed in his pitch, which averaged around 100mph.

And now that Kemmer has passed away, player development in Houston would surely take a hit.