That’s a good thing, since for two years it seemed like it was slipping away from him.
Kjerstad, a 2017 Randall graduate, was the No. 2 pick out of the University of Arkansas by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. He’s ready to live up to that, it seems sooner rather than later.
After not playing baseball for a year-and-a-half due to various health related issues, Kjerstad finally made his pro debut in 2022 and has moved up the Orioles chain as expected. Kjerstad is playing in the outfield for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides and appeared in the Sirius XM Futures Game in Seattle last weekend as part of All-Star week.
Based on that evidence, it looks as if Kjerstad is on the verge of donning an Orioles uniform before too long.
“It’s definitely as good as I want to perform,” said Kjerstad in a phone interview last week during the minor league four-day break for the All-Star Game. “No matter what, you always think you can do better and want to do better. I’m still pleased with how the first half of the season has gone for me.”
Kjerstad started the season at Baltimore’s Double-A affiliate, the Bowie Baysox. He didn’t last long at Bowie, but only because he hit .310 with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs in 46 games.
That earned Kjerstad a promotion to Norfolk in June, where he’s simply continued his progress as expected by Baltimore’s front office. He’s hitting .323 with five homers and 12 RBIs in 25 games.
Kjerstad has made enough of an impact this year to earn an invitation to the Futures Game, representing the Orioles organization on the American League team. He batted third in the lineup and went 1-for-2 at the plate.
“It was definitely an honor to be selected for that,” Kjerstad said. “It’s a pretty prestigious event for minor league prospects to be a part of and see the future of the big leagues. I’ve seen some players in it previously and there’s always a lot of talent. It was a lot of fun to be a part of it.”
As the number 37 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, Kjerstad is on track to reach the bigs. Two years ago, the idea of him being a prospect seemed nearly lost.
Kjerstad was the second player in the nation drafted in 2020, a year where everything was dampened by the COVID outbreak. There was no Major League Baseball at the time and the minor league season was subsequently canceled.
That wasn’t the half of it for Kjerstsad. In the fall, he was diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart.
Kjerstad was forced to sit out all of 2021 until he got cleared, meaning that for the better part of two seasons he wasn’t even able to take the field.
“It was unfortunate and not something you want to go through, but it’s part of life,” Kjerstad said. “It was a bit of a setback and some adversity I had to go through. It could have made my path a little bit harder for the time being, but it’s all part of my journey and made me learn some things about the future.
“It definitely wasn’t fun being sidelined. It was frustrating for sure because I wanted to be out there. I just enjoy being around the field and playing every day. I just had to work through it.”
Kjerstad didn’t make his professional debut until the second anniversary of his selection by the Orioles, when he suited up for the low-Class A Delmarva Shorebirds on June 10, 2022. He hit like he’d never missed a game, batting .463 in 22 games, earning him a promotion to high A Aberdeen.
That led to the only glitch in Kjerstad’s brief professional career to date. For the first time on the diamond, Kjerstad struggled to hit, batting only .233 in 43 games.
In the Arizona Fall League, Kjerstad bounced back and hit .357 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 22 games, putting him back on the fast track for 2023.
“I hadn’t played for two years so going through it and getting my feet back under me in the fall league felt good,” Kjerstad said. “Ever since then I’ve found my stride and I’ve been rolling with it.”
That roll appears to have him headed toward Baltimore, a place he might be right now if it hadn’t been for myocarditis. While it might appear that timewise Kjerstad looks overdue to reach the big leagues, from a baseball standpoint, he looks right on time.
“There wasn’t a sense of having to make up for lost time but more wanting to prove to myself how good I can be,” Kjerstad said. “It’s more so competing against myself and challenging myself to rise to every level I was at every day.”
Kjerstad generally plays in a corner outfield spot in Norfolk and sees himself in that role when he gets to the majors. However, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound left-handed hitter has also seen some time at first base as the organization looks at all outfield prospects and allows for injuries.
There may or may not be a sense of urgency for the Orioles to call up Kjerstad. They’re a young team but they’re second in the American League East, and if the season ended now, they’d be in the playoffs.
That’s heady company considering how much the Orioles have struggled in recent years.
“They definitely rebuilt the team over the last few years,” Kjerstad said. “They’ve had a lot of success this year and it’s so cool to think about when you do get your call up, you’re going to play for a playoff contending team. That’s what makes the game fun.”
It’s something Kjerstad’s been doing since his days growing up in Amarillo, where he followed in the footsteps of his older brothers Dex and Reid onto the diamond at Randall. Only Heston has taken the journey further than any of his siblings.
Now he’s as close as anybody can get without being there. Kjerstad says he’s ready for the jump.
“At this point in Triple-A it could happen any day,” Kjerstad said. “You’ve just got to be ready when it happens. I’m just starting to focus on the present and competing hard, having fun and just getting better.”