Education
Kranitz attended Apollo High School in Glendale, Arizona.
Kranitz attended Apollo High School in Glendale, Arizona.
Previously, he served as the pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles and Florida Marlins and the bullpen coach for the Chicago Cubs. Foreign the 2016 season, he will be the bullpen coach for the Philadelphia Phillies under manager Pete Mackanin. He went to Yavapai College and Oklahoma State University.
Kranitz was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 4th round (101st overall) of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft.
He pitched in the minor leagues from 1979 through 1985 without making the majors. Kranitz served as a player-coach with the Pikeville Cubs in 1984 and the Winston-Salem Spirits in 1985, though he pitched a total of three innings in those seasons.
He served as a minor league pitching coach, Minor League Pitching Coordinator and an assistant coach for the Cubs organization through 2001, when he was named the bullpen coach for the 2002 season. Kranitz managed the Daytona Cubs in 2003 and served as the pitching coach for the Iowa Cubs in 2004 and 2005.
Kranitz was named the pitching coach for the Florida Marlins in 2006.
Kranitz remained with the Marlins in 2007, but resigned shortly before the end of the season. In 2008, Kranitz became the pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles. There, he struggled to find the same success as in Florida.
In 2008 and 2009 the Orioles" pitching staff posted team ERAs of 5.13 and 5.15, respectively.
On November 1, 2010, Kranitz accepted an offer from the Houston Astros to become their minor league pitching coordinator. On November 15, 2010, it was announced that Kranitz would be replacing Rick Peterson as pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers.