Dock Mennonite hires former major leaguer Erik Kratz as baseball coach

Erik Kratz, a Dock Mennonite graduate who spent 19 seasons in professional baseball – 11 of those in Major League Baseball, including two stints with the Philadelphia Phillies – was announced as the Dock varsity baseball head coach Thursday by the school.

Kratz, who graduated from Dock in 1998, has previously been the Dock Mennonite Academy middle school coach. He takes over the varsity program from Joe Mascio, who resigned after one season that saw the Pioneers go 15-4 and win the District 1 Class 2A title.

“We are very excited to have Erik lead our baseball program,” Dock athletic director Seth Frankenfield said. “We know Erik will get the most out of our athletes from a baseball perspective, but he will also help develop them into leaders who will make a positive influence in our world. Erik has an undeniable love for baseball, yet he cares just as deeply about student athletes and helping them become the best overall person they can be. We look forward to this culture being instilled in Dock’s Baseball program.”

Dock baseball has won seven consecutive District 1 titles with the Pioneers claiming three state championships in program history (2005, 2006 and 2010).

After a college career at Eastern Mennonite University that included him twice earning Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors, Kratz was selected in the 29th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Kratz played in the minors until making his major league debut in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first of nine MLB teams the catcher played for until retiring after his 2020 season. He earned a World Series ring as a member of the 2015 champion Kansas City Royals.

Kratz played just two games for the Phillies in 2011 but the follow season for the team he played 50 games and in 141 at-bats had a .248 batting average, a .306 on-base percentage and a .504 slugging percentage with 35 hits, nine doubles, nine home runs, 26 RBIs and 14 runs scored.

In 2013 with the Phils, Kratz played 68 games and hit .213/.280/.386 with 42 hits, nine home runs, seven doubles, 26 RBIs and 21 runs scored in 197 at-bats.

After time with the Blue Jays (2014) and Royals (2014-2015), Kratz returned to the Phillies in 2015 and played in 12 games, hitting .227/.261/.318 with five hits, two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored in 22 at-bats.

He plays games with the Houston Astros and Pirates in 2016 then the New York Yankees in 2017 while in 2018 played 67 games with the Milwaukee Brewers, collecting 48 hits, six doubles, six home runs, 23 RBIs and 18 runs scored as he hit .236/.280/.355 in 203 at-bats.

Kratz saw time with the San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 before finishing his career with the Yankees in 2020.

In 332 major-league games, Kratz hit .209/.256/.355 with 184 hits, 36 doubles, 31 home runs and 105 RBIs and 76 runs scored.