Young Relief Pitcher Set for Breakout Season for Philadelphia Phillies

Who will have a breakout season for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025?

Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering (50) pitches in the sixth inning against the New York Mets during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies entered the offseason looking to shake things up a bit. However, they have been fairly low-key so far this winter.

After losing in the National League Division Series, the Phillies appeared like a team that could see some significant changes. However, while they have made a couple of moves so far, there wasn’t a major splash yet this winter.

Considering how good the team has been over the last few years, that might not be a bad thing. While the performance in October was a massive disappointment, this was a team that was a World Series contender last year.

However, while Philadelphia might have been a very good team, there are still some needs for the team. In the postseason against the New York Mets, the bullpen was a big issue.

So far this offseason, they have added Jordan Romano in free agency, but it doesn’t seem like Jeff Hoffman or Carlos Estevez will be back next season.

With that being said, they will need some players in the bullpen to step up to fill those roles.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com recently spoke about which player for the Phillies would have a breakout season. He chose relief pitcher Orion Kerkering to take a big step forward and have a breakout year. Furthermore, he highlighted the faith that Philadelphia has put in the young right-hander to pitch in a high-leverage role.

“The Phillies are banking on Kerkering taking a significant step forward in production and role in 2025. After all, the Phillies are not expecting free-agent right-handers Carlos Estévez or Jeff Hoffman to return to the bullpen.”

There is a lot to like about Kerkering coming out of the bullpen in 2025. The 23-year-old had an excellent campaign last year, and he will be looking to build on that success next season. Last year, the right-hander totaled a (5-3) record, 2.29 ERA, and allowed just two home runs in 63 games.

While some of his teammates struggled in the postseason, Kerkering didn’t seem phased by the pressure despite his inexperience. In October, he pitched 3.2 innings and allowed just one run.

If Philadelphia doesn’t make any other moves this offseason to add some high-leverage relief pitchers, Kerkering could very well be a set-up man for Romano to begin 2025.

After a strong full season of work last year, moving into a high-leverage role could result in Kerkering taking a big step forward in his career.

The Phillies are certainly putting a lot of faith in the 23-year-old to step up in 2025, and with a good amount of experience under his belt, he should be primed for a breakout season.