Grae Kessinger #16

Last name is pronounced as “kess-in-jer”....Graduated from Oxford HS in Mississippi in 2016...ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 2 prospect in Mississippi and the 74th-best prospect in the nation...was four-time All-State as a shortstop...selected by the Padres in the 26th round of the 2016 MLB Draft but opted to attend Ole Miss....Had a strong three-year career (2017-19) at Ole Miss...hit .332 (87x262) with 18 doubles, five home runs, 47 RBI and an .885 OPS (.458 SLG/.427 OBP) in 65 games as a junior at Ole Miss in 2019...was First Team All-SEC and a Third Team All-American...was also a finalist for the 2019 Brooks Wallace Award, which is presented annually to honor the nation’s most outstanding shortstop....Drafted by the Astros in the second round of the June 2019 draft...signed by Astros scout Travis Coleman....Is the grandson of two-time Gold Glove winning Cubs infielder Don Kessinger...both his father, Kevin, and uncle, Keith, played baseball professionally and were drafted out of Ole Miss...Keith reached the Majors with Cincinnati in 1993....Was invited to his third consecutive Major League Spring Training this season...is signed to a one-year Minor League contract for the 2023 season.

2023

Rookie infielder turned an early-season promotion into a utility role off the bench for the Astros down the stretch...The 26-year-old batted .200 (8x40) with a home run, RBI and two doubles in 26 games...Made starts at four positions: SS (4), 1B (2), 3B (1), 2B (1)...Made his first three career starts at three different positions, becoming the first Astro to do so since Jason Lane (RF, CF, LF) in ‘02 (excluding DH)...Opened the season with Triple-A Sugar Land and batted .283 (52x184) with six home runs, 32 RBI and 10 doubles through 54 games...Was selected to the Astros 40-man roster from Triple-A Sugar Land on June 5 and remained part of the MLB roster for the remainder of the season...Hit his first career homer on July 4 vs. COL...Became the third generation of his family to homer in an MLB game, joining grandfather, Don Kessinger (1964-79) and uncle, Keith Kessinger (1993)...Was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 19 (Health and Safety Protocols) and missed 12 games before being reinstated on Sept. 1...Made two appearances this postseason, being utilized as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement...Made a leaping, game-saving catch at SS in Game 5 of the ALCS at TEX to preserve a one-run lead en route to the victory...Was his first career postseason appearance.

2022

Spent the entire 2022 season with Double A Corpus Christi (121g)...notched a .211 batting average (89x421) with 72 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 58 RBI, 23 stolen bases and a .693 OPS.

2021

Played his entire 2021 season at Double-A Corpus Christi, appearing in 86 games for the Hooks... hit .209 (62x297) with nine doubles, nine homers, 26 RBI and 12 stolen bases...started games at shortstop (40g), second base (33g) and third base (13g)...following the regular season, had a strong Winter League campaign with Glendale in the Arizona Fall League...hit .277 (18x65) with two doubles, a triple, two homers, 12 RBI and an .821 OPS (.390 OBP/.431 SLG) in 20 games...walked 11 times against 10 strikeouts.

2020

Did not play in an official game in 2020 due to the COVID-19 shutdown...returned to the field for Instructional Camp in October.

2019

Spent 2019 between Class A Short Season Tri City (12g) and Class A Quad Cities (50g), batting .232 (49x211) with 10 doubles, 20 RBI, 29 walks and a .641 OPS (.333 OBP / .308 SLG) in 62 games.

draft

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Though he was one of the better high school shortstop prospects in the 2016 Draft, Kessinger lasted until the Padres took him in the 26th round because he was all but destined to play at Mississippi. His grandfather Don was an All-American for the Rebels in baseball and basketball before playing in six All-Star Games with the Cubs, and his father, Kevin and uncle Keith (another big leaguer) also played for Ole Miss. Scouts appreciated Grae's steady play but were underwhelmed by his package of tools -- though now they're reconsidering him after he hit .405 in Southeastern Conference play as a junior.

Kessinger was a career .248 hitter before league play began this spring, but as one evaluator said, "You don't hit .400 in the SEC by accident." He has a history of making contact with a controlled right-handed swing and line-drive approach, and he has hit the ball harder than ever in 2019. He draws walks and plays quicker on the bases than his below-average speed out of the box, though he has modest home run power at best.

Kessinger makes plays at shortstop despite lacking classic tools for the position. He's not twitchy or flashy and his arm is merely average, yet he compensates with instincts and positioning. He likely will move to second base in pro ball and may be more of a utilityman than a regular, though his strong makeup and surprising junior season may foreshadow him exceeding expectations.