The Dean Kremer Impact
Written by: Kyle Thibideau
Dean Kremer, known of having to work his tail off, being drafted by the Dodgers in the 14th round in the 2016 MLB Draft, has made quite a name for himself as of late in the Orioles organization, posting a 2.48 ERA (Earned Run Average) in 6 games started. He was one of the prospects dealt in the Manny Machado to the Dodgers trade in 2018, and one of the biggest pieces in that deal. Four years later, Dean Kremer is considered the ace of the 2022 Baltimore Orioles, as they await the arrivals of top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall to arrive to the big leagues. Although he is doing great work in the MLB, I won't act and tell you his road to the big leagues was a sunny ride and no blockages. In 2020 when Kremer got the call to the MLB, it was as bad as you could have had, as he posted a 4.82 ERA in 4 games, and then in 2021, posted a horrendous 7.55 ERA in 13 games. He struggled with command and putting guys away, with a whip higher than 1.45 in the two seasons.
In the minors in 2018-2019, Kremer posted a 2.84 ERA over 23 starts, racking up 114 strikeouts, with the Orioles and Dodgers. Getting the promotion to Norfolk (Triple A Affiliate), Kremer struggled out of the gate, but rebounded nicely in the Arizona League. Dean relies on his curveball most of the time, as it is his best pitch by far, having the flexibility to locate it on the corners, making hitters uncomfortable. He tops out at 96 on his fastball and has a great changeup to pair with it. Scouts say Kremer has a ceiling of a long relief pitcher or a number 4-5 starter in the big leagues. So far, he is shutting those comments down, presenting himself as the ace of the staff on a .500 Orioles ball club that is only 3.5 games back of the wild card spot in the hardest division in baseball. It is to be determined if Kremer will still hold the reigns when phenom Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall come to the bigs, as Grayson is considered the best pitching prospect in the MLB (#4 overall prospect in the MLB), and DL Hall being considered a top 70 prospect in the MLB, currently ranked at 67th.
Either way, the impact of Dean Kremer's presence in his 2nd turn in the big leagues is no fluke, as he has shut out teams this season, while going 5 or more innings in his outing. In 3 straight starts this season, Kremer has ripped off 18.2 innings of scoreless baseball, against the Rays, White Sox, and Mariners (3 Teams that were either in the playoffs last season or close to it). Kremer impact on the Orioles is felt and will be a main reason if they go to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, when they lost in the wild card round.
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