The Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen will be an area to watch as the 2025 Major League Baseball season kicks off. The team lost two high-leverage relievers in free agency, All-Star Jeff Hoffman and right-hander Carlos Estévez.
The Phillies had a 3.85-team ERA, the eighth-lowest in the majors in 2024. The bullpen’s 3.94 ERA, featuring two All-Stars, was the seventh-best in the National League.
The departures of Hoffman and Estévez opened up opportunities for others to take on a larger and higher leverage role. Orion Kerkering is one of those relievers the Phillies will count on in 2025.
Why Orion Kerkering will be a first-time All-Star this season
The Phillies drafted Kerkering in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He appeared in six games between the Florida Complex League and Single-A in 2022, posting a 3.86 ERA with seven strikeouts.
Kerkering progressed from Clearwater to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2023, owning a 1.51 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and recording 79 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings across four minor league levels. He made three appearances with the Phillies at the end of the 2023 season, allowing just three hits and one earned run with six strikeouts in three innings pitched.
Kerkering began the 2024 season on the IL and made his first regular season appearance on April 14 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching one scoreless inning. The right-hander was one of the Phillies’ most reliable and important relievers, finishing the season with a 5-3 record, 2.29 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 14 holds and 74 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched.
The 23-year-old has shown that he can handle the bright lights. Kerkering has a career 3.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts and two holds in nine playoff innings pitched over the last two years. The Phillies mainly used him in the sixth inning or later in 2024, with the seventh inning being his unassigned designated role. With Hoffman and Estévez no longer on the team, Kerkering may find himself often pitching in late-inning situations.
Kerkering had an incredible first full season in the majors and stacked up well with the game’s best relievers. He had a lower ERA than four All-Star relievers from a season ago and more strikeouts than three. His projected larger role and the national recognition that comes with it will only help his cause to be an All-Star reliever in 2025.
Kerkering relies on three main pitches: a sweeper, a four-seam fastball and a sinker. He’s a hard-throwing reliever who can overpower opposing hitters. He has shown signs of pure dominance during his young major league career and should be a perennial All-Star for years to come.