Dean Kremer Bio
Dean Junior Kremer is an Israeli–American professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born on January 7, 1996, in Stockton, California, Kremer grew up in a bilingual household with deep ties to Israel. He made history in 2015 by becoming the first Israeli ever drafted by an MLB team, and later became the first Israeli citizen to pitch in the major leagues when he debuted for the Orioles in September 2020.
Kremer has built a reputation as a reliable starting pitcher, combining a four-seam fastball with a sharp cutter and a developing curveball. Beyond his club career, he has represented Israel in multiple international tournaments, including the World Baseball Classic and the European Baseball Championship qualifiers, earning Most Valuable Pitcher honors in 2014 and 2015.
Early Life and Background
Dean Junior Kremer was born and raised in Stockton, California, in a Jewish household with strong Israeli roots. His parents, Adi and Sigal Kremer, are Israeli and met in the Israel Defense Forces before relocating to the United States. His father played college tennis at the University of the Pacific on a tennis scholarship, and the family speaks Hebrew at home. Kremer himself is fluent in Hebrew and travels to Israel for roughly two months every year, maintaining dual citizenship.
Kremer began playing baseball in Little League at the age of five, gradually developing into a pitcher during his teenage years. He has two younger brothers, Ron, who serves in the Israeli Army, and Niv. His maternal great-uncle is American-Israeli businessman and philanthropist Haim Saban. Most of his extended family lives in Israel, in Tel Aviv and Rishon LeZion, while his parents and youngest brother reside in the United States.
Kremer attended Lincoln High School in Stockton, graduating in 2013. There he played baseball for two seasons as a right fielder and pitcher and was twice named Second Team All-League. As a senior, taking the mound more frequently, he posted a 6–2 record with a 2.35 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 41.2 innings. He had his bar mitzvah in Israel, an experience that strengthened his connection to the country he would later represent on the international stage.
Path to Baseball
Following high school, Kremer attended San Joaquin Delta College for his freshman year in 2013–14, playing for the Mustangs and committing full-time to pitching. Under the school’s strength and conditioning program, he added approximately 20 pounds to his frame, transforming from a slender teenager into a more durable pitcher. He went 13–1 with a 2.00 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 112.2 innings and was named a 2015 Third Team All-American by community college baseball coaches.
After one season at San Joaquin Delta, Kremer transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) on a baseball scholarship for his sophomore year. Pitching for the Rebels, he posted a 4–5 record with a 4.92 ERA, while his fastball sat in the low-90s. In June 2015, he was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 38th round of the MLB draft, becoming the first Israeli ever chosen in the draft, though he declined to sign in order to honor his college commitment.
Dean Kremer Career
Early Career (2016–2018)
Kremer entered professional baseball in 2016 after being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 14th round of the MLB draft, 431st overall. He signed for a bonus of $147,500 and made his professional debut on July 3 with the Ogden Raptors of the Rookie Pioneer League. Promoted to the Great Lakes Loons in August, he finished his first regular season with a 2–1 record and a 2.27 ERA, striking out 35 batters in 31.2 innings. In the playoffs, he recorded the final eight outs of the Loons’ championship-clinching win over the Clinton LumberKings.
In 2017, Kremer split time with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the Class A+ California League, appearing in 33 games with a 5.18 ERA while striking out 96 batters in 80 innings. Returning to the Quakes in 2018, he earned California League Mid-Season All-Star honors before a midseason promotion to the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League. He debuted with Tulsa by pitching a three-hit shutout against the Midland RockHounds with 11 strikeouts and was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week.
Los Angeles Dodgers Era (2016–2018)
Kremer’s development within the Dodgers system was steady, with the organization focusing on refining his pitch mix and command. The Dodgers featured a fastball in the 92–95 mph range, a slider, a curveball, and a splitter, giving Kremer a balanced arsenal to attack hitters. On July 18, 2018, however, the Dodgers traded Kremer, along with Yusniel Diaz, Rylan Bannon, Zach Pop, and Breyvic Valera, to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for All-Star infielder Manny Machado, redirecting his career path.
Baltimore Orioles Era (2018–Present)
After joining the Orioles organization, Kremer was assigned to the Bowie Baysox of the Double-A Eastern League to close out the 2018 season. Across 25 combined starts that year between Rancho Cucamonga, Tulsa, and Bowie, he went 10–5 with a 2.88 ERA, striking out 178 batters in 131.1 innings, a figure that led all minor league pitchers. Entering 2019, he was ranked the Orioles’ No. 9 prospect by Baseball America, and later he added a stint with the Norfolk Tides of the Class AAA International League, posting a combined 9–6 record with a 3.72 ERA. He finished the year in the Arizona Fall League, earning All-Star honors before being added to the Orioles’ 40-man roster.
The Orioles promoted Kremer to the major leagues on September 6, 2020, and he delivered a memorable debut against the New York Yankees at Camden Yards. He allowed just one run and one hit while striking out seven batters across six innings, earning the win in a 5–1 Orioles victory. He became the first Israeli citizen to pitch in the major leagues and the fourth Orioles starter to throw six innings of one-hit ball in his debut. He capped his rookie season with a 4.82 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 18.2 innings over four starts.
Kremer faced adversity in 2021, finishing with a 7.55 ERA and an 0–7 record across 13 starts. He rebounded strongly in 2022, posting an 8–7 record and a 3.23 ERA over 125.1 innings, with his eight wins ranking second on the Orioles staff. During the season, he recorded three straight scoreless starts of at least five innings, tying the longest such streak in Orioles/St. Louis Browns franchise history. On September 23, 2022, he threw his first career shutout in a 6–0 victory over the Houston Astros.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kremer relies primarily on a 94 mph four-seam fastball and an 88 mph cutter, with secondary offerings including a changeup, curveball, and sinker. His high strikeout rate and ability to limit hard contact have defined his approach on the mound. He has consistently ranked near the top of the American League in strikeouts per nine innings and has shown particular strength in inducing soft contact, a key indicator of pitcher effectiveness.
Notable Events and Milestones
Beyond his historic MLB debut, Kremer was the starting pitcher on September 28, 2023, when the Orioles clinched the American League East title with a 2–0 victory over the Boston Red Sox. He pitched 5.1 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and received a standing ovation from the Baltimore crowd. His 13 wins during the 2023 regular season ranked sixth in the American League, and his 46 strikeouts with the cutter ranked third in all of Major League Baseball.
Dean Kremer Career Wins
Dean Junior Kremer has accumulated victories across professional levels in both the minor and major leagues, highlighted by his breakthrough 2023 season with the Orioles. He has also collected wins representing Israel in international tournaments, including the European Baseball Championship qualifiers, where his performance earned him back-to-back Most Valuable Pitcher awards in 2014 and 2015.
Major League Highlights
In his MLB career, Kremer has recorded wins in each season he has appeared in the majors, headlined by 13 victories in 2023 and eight wins in 2022. His first major league win came on September 6, 2020, against the New York Yankees, a six-inning, one-run performance that announced his arrival in the big leagues. His most recent productive season saw him finish 8–10 with a 4.10 ERA in 2024, striking out 123 batters in 129.2 innings.
Other Wins and Performances
In international competition, Kremer pitched for Israel in the 2014 C-Level qualifier in Slovenia, going 2–0 with a 0.00 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 13 innings. He added another win in the 2015 B-Level qualifier in Vienna, Austria, pitching six scoreless innings against Belarus with 10 strikeouts. He also contributed to Team USA’s gold medal at the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel, his first major international appearance.
Dean Kremer Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kremer comes from a close-knit family with deep Israeli heritage. His parents Adi and Sigal Kremer both served in the Israel Defense Forces before moving to the United States, where they raised Dean and his two younger brothers, Ron and Niv. His father Adi played college tennis at the University of the Pacific on a scholarship, instilling a strong athletic background in the family.
Personal Life
Kremer maintains strong ties to Israel, spending roughly two months each year in the country and speaking Hebrew fluently at home with his family. His maternal great-uncle is American-Israeli businessman and philanthropist Haim Saban. Kremer keeps his personal relationships private, and details about a spouse or children are not publicly confirmed.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 season, Dean Junior Kremer is positioned as a veteran member of the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation following a 2024 campaign in which he went 8–10 with a 4.10 ERA across 24 starts. His ability to limit hard contact, ranking fourth in exit velocity among American League pitchers with at least 120 innings, remains a defining trait of his performance. The Orioles are expected to lean on his consistency as they pursue another American League East title.
Kremer’s continued development of his cutter and four-seam fastball combination should remain central to his success on the mound. With the experience of a full 162-game season and a division-clinching moment behind him, he brings a steady presence to Baltimore’s pitching staff. His contract details for 2025 are not publicly confirmed.
Looking ahead, Kremer’s outlook depends on his ability to maintain strikeout totals while reducing home runs allowed, an area where he showed improvement in 2024. As one of the senior arms in the Orioles rotation, his role in setting the tone for the pitching staff will be closely watched by fans and analysts alike.