Kremer’s goal entering ’24: join 200-inning club

In 2023, there were just five pitchers in baseball who had pitched 200 innings. In 2024, Dean Kremer hopes to put his name on that list.

With 172.2 innings pitched last season, the right-hander was second on the Orioles. He knows that number could have been higher if not for his April outings, when he averaged less than five innings per start and recorded a 6.67 ERA in six appearances.

“Last year, my first month was a little difficult,” Kremer remarked. “I kind of dropped it after that, flushed it, and moved on.”

Between May 5 and August 29, Kremer pitched to a 3.59 ERA in his next 21 appearances, averaging almost six innings each start. Of the 21 games, 17 were victories for the Orioles.

Kremer declared, “I’m trying to eat as many innings as I can.” The objective is 200; it serves as a kind of standard for starters who are fit for the entire season. The objective is to attempt to accomplish that year after year.

While Kremer was growing up in Northern California, he witnessed Madison Bumgarner tear through six straight seasons of 200 innings from 2011 to 2016, a streak that he carried with him when he started his own trip to the Major Leagues.

He was the mainstay, according to Kremer. “He disliked relinquishing the ball.”

Kremer is able to empathize, having remembered several occasions—most of them, in fact—when he believed he had more left in him when he was hoisted.

“It’s extremely rare that you’re out there and you’re thinking, ‘OK, I think I’m done,'” he remarked. “We all generally think, ‘Give me one more batter.'”

A 200-inning season—how uncommon has it become? Almost all of the pitchers who had achieved the feat in recent years were easily identified by Kremer as he began to rattle off their names.

“Due to analytics and players’ increased velocity overall, it’s not as common with where the game is going, which makes it harder to sustain that for longer,” Kremer stated. A select few players consistently do that, but every starter will tell you, “I want to pitch 200 innings.” Getting to 200 is something I’d like to know the definition of as it’s becoming uncommon.

Dean Kremer rings up 10 batters

Kremer acknowledged that he has likely “spoken a few things” to Brandon Hyde along the years in an attempt to get his manager to bench him during a game.

A grinning Hyde stated, “He definitely wants to stay in the game as long as possible.”

Although Hyde may not always agree, the manager believes that Kremer is a pitcher who can put up a significant amount of effort for his squad.

Hyde stated, “I think he’s definitely that guy in his future, but he’s still young.” I hope that happens this year. That’s a guy who stays in terrific form and wants to be out there, so he’ll give you a lot of innings on the mound. He will definitely be a workhorse in the future, in my opinion.

Dean Kremer fans seven

In his first spring training start on Wednesday, Kremer gave up one run on two hits and a walk in two innings pitched as the Twins were defeated 12-3.After Minnesota loaded the bases to start the game, all of the damage was done in the first inning. However, Kremer stopped the damage to just a sacrifice fly by Christian Vázquez, and to end his outing, he sat down the Twins in order in the second.

“There, it was a fast start with two pitches and a walk,” Kremer remarked. I hadn’t had time to settle in. Everything happened quite swiftly. Juices are flowing a little bit more than usual because it was the first time against actual competition, and they are feeling it out as much as I am.

It will be critical for Corbin Burnes, Kremer, and Grayson Rodriguez to help stabilize the rotation in the first few weeks of the season while Kyle Bradish recovers from an elbow injury and John Means trails the rest of the staff while he continues to strengthen his elbow.

“It’s important for all those guys to start well, as we will be without Kyle and Means for a short period of time,” Hyde stated. “Hopefully, the other guys are able to pick themselves up.”

Kremer had aimed to pitch 200 innings this season, but his spring strategy is much more straightforward.

“Leaving and feeling good,” Kremer remarked. “I’m essentially aiming for that.”