Bold predictions for the MLB regular season are made this time of year during spring training. Which Philadelphia Phillies players could see boosts in production this season? Will Cristopher Sánchez lead the Phillies' starting pitchers in wins? Could Ranger Suárez win the NL Cy Young Award? Will Johan Rojas emerge as the franchise's starting center fielder?
Philadelphia will need health and luck to win a World Series in 2025. Luck has been difficult for the Phillies to find in the postseason series they have lost the last two years. Is there a reliever who could help form a solid bullpen, which could help win a championship?
Orion Kerkering will lead the Phillies in saves during the 2025 season
The Phillies saw some roster changes in their bullpen this offseason. Closer Carlos Estévez and setup reliever Jeff Hoffman are gone, having signed with other clubs in free agency. Philadelphia added free agent closer Jordan Romano on a one-year deal.
Recently, reliever Matt Strahm suffered a left shoulder impingement that may impact his availability for the remainder of spring training and potentially for Opening Day. If so, Philly's bullpen depth will be tested earlier.
Regardless of Strahm's status for Opening Day, Orion Kerkering will be expected to take on a bigger role in the bullpen during his second full season. The right-hander has been used by manager Rob Thomson frequently, primarily during the middle innings of games so far in his young career.
Kerkering has yet to convert a save in the majors but only has two career opportunities. Before his promotion to the Phillies toward the end of the 2023 regular season, the 23-year-old finished with 14 saves in 15 opportunities in the minors.
The 2022 fifth-round draft pick saved all four of his opportunities in Single-A with the Clearwater Threshers. He converted all three save chances with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws in High-A, and continued his success as a closer in Double-A with the Reading Fightin Phils, finishing with seven saves in eight opportunities.
According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Kerkering wants to throw more two-seam fastballs and locate those pitches better this season.
"Maybe it’s like 25-25 [percent] between fastballs,” Kerkering said in January, per Zolecki, with the other half being sliders. “Split it a little bit more, and play off between righties and lefties a little bit more. Be able to locate left and right side of the plate a little better with it. Just keep growing off it. Last year, I don’t want to say [the sinker] was a play-around pitch, but [it was an] experiment almost. See how it is. But this year it’s take the next step into it.”
Strahm and Alvarado are more suited to pitch in the setup role. Neither has been used consistently as a closer during their careers. Romano was one of the league's top closers in 2022 and 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays but missed several months last year with right shoulder inflammation.
Kerkering has what it takes to be a MLB closer
Considering that Thomson prefers to use a committee approach to close games, it is anyone's guess who may lead the Phillies in saves this year. Why not Kerkering? Based on his young age, the right-hander has the most upside among all the team's relievers. He will turn 24 at the beginning of April.
The bullpen struggled collectively in last year's NLDS versus the New York Mets. However, Kerkering's 2.45 ERA was the best. He was the only reliever Thomson used in every game of the series.
In January, Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham told The Phillies Show podcast why Kerkering would be successful if Thomson used him in the ninth inning.
"He’s a good thinker," Cotham said. "He’s what you want. I mean this in the best way, he’s a little bit of a dirtbag. He likes the ball and he likes those sticky, hot situations. And he doesn’t back down. He’s a trash man. So I think he can do that role that Hoffman was obviously fantastic at.”
"For sure," Cotham said about if he could see Kerkering as a closer in the future. "That’s an easy yes for me. If we define closer like the ability to get the most important outs in a game, he’s there.”
Kerkering is capable of being an option to close games for the Phillies this season and has yet to reach the prime years of his career. If Thomson uses multiple relievers in the closer's role, the Huntington Beach, California, native can be a candidate to lead the team in saves.