Philadelphia Phillies Rising Star Reliever Must Have Breakout Season

One Philadelphia Phillies reliever is in need of a breakout season as the team tries to re-assemble its bullpen for 2025.

Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering (50) pitches in the in the seventh inning against the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

One of the biggest strengths for the Philadelphia Phillies throughout the 2024 regular season was their bullpen.

Manager Rob Thomson had a unique approach with his relievers, as there weren’t set roles. It isn’t something that everyone can handle, but he made it work with his group, as many of them thrived despite roles that changed on a nightly basis.

One of the players who thrived in that setting was Orion Kerkering.

In his first full Major League season, he thrived, appearing in 62 games and quickly becoming an integral part of the late-game situations. He threw 63 innings with 74 strikeouts, recording a 2.29 ERA.

His advanced stats implied that his raw numbers were as good as they implied, as his FIP was 2.42 and his advanced stats were impressive. A 29.5% strikeout rate and 7.0% walk rate are both better than league average.

In addition, he limits hard contact with an average exit velocity of 86.5 mph and hard hit percentage of 33.5 are both much better than league average as well.

Able to keep the ball in the park, as he doesn’t give up fly balls and generates ground balls at a high rate, he has all of the makings of a late-game star.

Given some of the impending changes to the bullpen, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com believes that Kerkering is one Phillies player poised to break out in 2025. On one hand, its necessary, as it appears relievers Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman are not expected to return.

“When the Phils signed (Jordan) Romano in December, they said they were comfortable with what they have in the bullpen, specifically mentioning Kerkering as a key piece in the back end. He will need to step up to make the plan work," Zolecki wrote.

Thomson should be comfortable relying on Kerkering late in the game, as he is only scratching the surface of his potential, turning 24 on April 4. His numbers could be even better, as he didn’t have much luck with a .316 batting average on balls in play.

If that gets closer to league average, his numbers are only going to improve.

Kerkering didn’t record a save this past season, but that is something which should change in the future. Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman combined for 16 of the team’s 37 saves last season, finishing third and second on the team, respectively.

Those high-leverage chances could very well go to the young righty in 2025 and beyond, as he could be the team’s closer of the future.