Dean Kremer Bio
Dean Junior Kremer is an Israeli-American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born on January 7, 1996, in Stockton, California, Kremer is the first Israeli citizen ever drafted by an MLB team and the first Israeli to pitch in the major leagues. He has also represented Israel in multiple international tournaments, including the World Baseball Classic and the European Baseball Championship qualifiers.
After climbing through the minor leagues in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles systems, Kremer made his MLB debut in September 2020 against the New York Yankees. He is recognized for his steady strikeout production, his multi-pitch arsenal, and his ongoing role as one of the most prominent Israeli players in American professional baseball.
Early Life and Background
Dean Junior Kremer was born and raised in Stockton, California, in a Jewish household with deep Israeli roots. His parents, Adi and Sigal Kremer, are both Israeli and moved to the United States after completing their service in the Israel Defense Forces. His father played college tennis at the University of the Pacific on a tennis scholarship, and the family speaks Hebrew at home. Kremer is fluent in Hebrew, spends about two months of each year in Israel, and holds dual Israeli-American citizenship.
Kremer had his bar mitzvah in Israel, and most of his extended family lives in Tel Aviv and Rishon LeZion. He has two younger brothers, Ron and Niv, and his great-uncle is the American-Israeli businessman and philanthropist Haim Saban. Kremer started playing baseball in Little League at the age of five and grew up cheering for the Oakland Athletics while developing his game in Stockton’s youth leagues.
He attended Lincoln High School in Stockton, graduating in 2013. As a senior, Kremer became a full-time pitcher, going 6-2 with a 2.35 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 41.2 innings after spending his first two varsity seasons splitting time between right field and the mound. His late blooming on the mound set the stage for his college recruitment and eventual professional career.
Path to Professional Baseball
Kremer began his college career at San Joaquin Delta College in 2014, where he was named a Third Team All-American after going 13-1 with a 2.00 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 112.2 innings. After his freshman year, he transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on a baseball scholarship, where he worked as a starting pitcher for the UNLV Rebels and went 4-5 with a 4.92 ERA.
His college success put him on the MLB scouting radar. In June 2015, the San Diego Padres selected him in the 38th round of the MLB Draft, making him the first Israeli player ever drafted. Kremer chose to honor his college commitment, but a year later the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the 14th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, and he signed for a bonus of $147,500.
That path was reinforced by his international résumé. Kremer had already pitched for the Team USA baseball team at the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning a gold medal, and then starred for Israel in the European Baseball Championship qualifiers in 2014 and 2015, winning the Most Valuable Pitcher award in both years.
Dean Kremer Career
Early Career (2016-2018)
Kremer made his professional debut on July 3, 2016, for the Ogden Raptors of the Rookie Pioneer League, and was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons of the Class A Midwest League later that summer. He finished his first professional regular season with a 2-1 record and a 2.27 ERA, striking out 35 batters in 31.2 innings while holding hitters to a .176 batting average. In the playoffs, he recorded the final eight outs of the Loons’ championship-clinching win over the Clinton LumberKings.
In 2017, the Dodgers assigned him to the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, where he appeared in 33 games and struck out 96 batters in 80 innings. He returned to the Quakes in 2018 and was named a California League Mid-Season All-Star before being promoted to the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League, where he threw a three-hit shutout in his debut and was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week. On July 18, 2018, the Dodgers traded Kremer, Yusniel Diaz, Rylan Bannon, Zach Pop, and Breyvic Valera to the Baltimore Orioles for Manny Machado.
Minor League Development and International Stage (2017-2019)
Following the trade, the Orioles assigned Kremer to the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Across three levels in 2018, he went 10-5 with a 2.88 ERA and led all minor league pitchers with 178 strikeouts in 131.1 innings, earning Mid-Season California League All-Star honors. He began 2019 ranked as the No. 9 Orioles prospect by Baseball America, and combined across the Frederick Keys, Bowie, and Norfolk Tides he went 9-6 with a 3.72 ERA, averaging 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
After the 2019 season, Kremer pitched in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros, posting a 2.37 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in 19 innings, and was named a league All-Star. The Orioles added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. In international play, he pitched for Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic main tournament after helping the team qualify in September 2016.
Baltimore Orioles Era (2020-Present)
Kremer made his MLB debut on September 6, 2020, against the New York Yankees at Camden Yards, allowing just one run and one hit while striking out seven batters in six innings to earn the win in a 5-1 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 finished 2020 with a 1-1 record, a 4.82 ERA, and 22 strikeouts in 18.2 innings across four starts.
After a difficult 2021 season in which he went 0-7 with a 7.55 ERA, Kremer rebounded in 2022 with an 8-7 record and a 3.23 ERA, finishing with the second-most wins on the Orioles staff. In 2023, he went 13-5 with a 4.12 ERA across 32 starts and 172.2 innings, ranking sixth in the American League in wins and second in winning percentage. On September 28, 2023, he started the division-clinching game against the Boston Red Sox, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts as the Orioles won 2-0 to claim the American League East title.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kremer relies on a four-pitch mix led by a 94 mph four-seam fastball and an 88 mph cutter, supported by a changeup, curveball, and sinker. His cutter generated the third-most strikeouts in Major League Baseball in 2023, and his overall command allows him to work deep into games. Scouting reports praise his pitchability, durability, and ability to limit hard contact, making him a reliable middle-of-the-rotation starter.
Notable Events and Milestones
Kremer’s signature moments include his historic 2020 MLB debut against the Yankees, his three straight scoreless starts of at least five innings in 2022 that tied a franchise record, and his first career shutout, a 6-0 victory over the Houston Astros on September 23, 2022. His role in the Orioles’ 2023 American League East division-clinching win cemented his place in the team’s recent resurgence.
Dean Kremer Career Wins
Dean Junior Kremer has accumulated a growing list of victories across the minor leagues, MLB, and international competition. Through the 2025 MLB season, he has posted a career 41-40 record with a 4.26 ERA and 578 strikeouts in the major leagues, along with key postseason-clinching performances for the Baltimore Orioles.
MLB Highlights
Kremer’s first MLB win came in his debut against the New York Yankees on September 6, 2020, a 5-1 victory at Camden Yards in which he struck out seven batters in six innings. He added a career-high 13 wins in 2023 while helping the Orioles capture the American League East title, and he recorded his first career shutout in a 6-0 win over the Houston Astros in 2022. Most recently, he logged 11 wins in the 2025 season, reinforcing his value as a durable starter for Baltimore.
International and Minor League Highlights
At the minor league level, Kremer helped the Great Lakes Loons win a Midwest League championship in 2016 and led all minor league pitchers with 178 strikeouts in 2018. Internationally, he won the Most Valuable Pitcher award in the 2014 and 2015 European Baseball Championship qualifiers and won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
Dean Kremer Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Although Dean Junior Kremer is a baseball player rather than a motorsports competitor, his family background reflects a strong athletic and Israeli heritage. His parents, Adi and Sigal Kremer, are both Israeli-born and met during their service in the Israel Defense Forces before relocating to the United States. His father, Adi, played college tennis at the University of the Pacific on a tennis scholarship, giving the family a tradition of competitive sport.
Personal Life
Kremer lives a bicultural life between the United States and Israel, spending about two months each year in Israel with his grandparents, who live in Tel Aviv and Rishon LeZion. He speaks Hebrew fluently with his family, has two younger brothers, Ron and Niv, and identifies strongly with his Israeli roots, including serving as one of the most visible Israeli players in Major League Baseball.
2025 Season Performance
Dean Junior Kremer entered the 2025 season as a key member of the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation, coming off a strong 2023 campaign in which he posted 13 wins and helped lead the team to the American League East title. His 2024 season saw him go 8-10 with a 4.10 ERA across 24 starts, and he looked to build on the improved contact management and soft-contact rates he posted that year.
During the 2025 regular season, Kremer made 31 appearances, including 29 starts, and compiled an 11-10 record with a 4.19 ERA and 142 strikeouts across 171.2 innings. His durability and innings total reflected his role as a workload-carrying starter for the Orioles, and he continued to generate swings and misses with his signature four-seam fastball and cutter combination.
Looking beyond 2025, the Orioles optioned Kremer to Triple-A Norfolk to begin the 2026 season, and he was later placed on the injured list on April 23, 2026, with a right quad strain before being transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 29, 2026. Despite the setback, Kremer remained under contract with Baltimore and continued to be viewed as a veteran presence whose experience and international profile brought additional visibility to the franchise.
