SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Dean Kremer’s 2019 season started a bit late because of an oblique injury, but it didn’t take him long to get back on track and show why his stock was on the rise after a breakout 2018 campaign, in which he led the Minors in strikeouts.
Kremer ultimately got his first promotion up to Triple-A late in the season and is now hoping to build off that momentum in the Arizona Fall League.
“I got off to a slow start, missed the whole first month,” the Orioles’ No. 8 prospect said. “Took me a while to get back into rhythm and then by July, I was able to start putting quality start after quality start and hit my stride as the season wore on.”
Kremer was lights-out in July. The right-hander made six starts that month for Double-A Bowie and was a perfect 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 34 1/3 innings. In fact, those six starts were in middle of a 10-start stretch in which Kremer yielded two runs or fewer eight times.
Following that run, the 2016 Draft pick (14th round), whom the Orioles acquired from the Dodgers as part of the Manny Machado trade, was bumped up to Triple-A Norfolk.
Kremer struggled over four starts with the Tides (0-2, 8.84 ERA) but gleaned valuable experience that he can build upon in the Fall League and in 2020.
“Hitters in Triple-A were definitely an adjustment for me,” Kremer said. “They don’t miss. They don’t miss very often, and having to navigate a lineup once, twice, even three times definitely takes some strategy.”
Kremer has the arsenal necessary to work his way through advanced lineups, with a plus curveball, a lively fastball that sits in the mid 90s, a slider that has the potential to be an above-average offering and a changeup. However, Kremer still has room to develop those pitches, and that’s something he’ll be focusing on in Arizona.
“Slider and changeup were both a work in progress, and I’m going to try to showcase them here and really rep them out here as much as I can and incorporate them so I get a solid feel before I shut it down this year.”
Hitters in the Fall League:
Rylan Bannon, 2B (No. 23): Bannon certainly gets the most out of his 5-foot-7 frame and generates above-average raw power, but his big leg kick and upper-cut swing also led to a number of strikeouts. However, after striking out in 24 percent of his plate appearances last season, the 23-year-old showed he’s able to make adjustments and lowered that number to just 16 percent over 130 games in 2019. Bannon, a 2017 Draft pick (eighth round) whom the Orioles acquired last season from the Dodgers, has spent time at both second and third base in the Minors, but profiles best at second with average speed and arm strength.
Mason McCoy, SS/2B (No. 24): A sixth-round pick from the 2017 Draft, McCoy impressed in his first experience at the Double-A level. The 24-year-old began the year with Class A Advanced Frederick, but it didn’t take long before he was promoted to Double-A Bowie, where he hit .266/.326/.343 over 105 games. McCoy doesn’t have huge standout tools, but he does almost everything well. McCoy hits for more average than power, but has a solid approach and uses the whole field. Defensively, he’s a plus defender and can play both second base and shortstop.
Pitchers in the Fall League:
Alex Wells, LHP (No. 20): Pitching at the Double-A level for the first time, Wells compiled 105 strikeouts over 137 1/3 innings and pitched to a 2.95 ERA. The Australian left-hander struggled a bit in August (0-3, 5.20 ERA), so it will intriguing to see if the short break before the Fall League provides him time to rest and regain his form. Rather than a high ceiling, Wells has a high floor and good command of his fastball, changeup and curveball.
Cody Carroll, RHP: Carroll, whom the Orioles acquired from the Yankees in 2018, missed the vast majority of the season as he recovered from a back injury. After pitching just two innings in 2019, the 26-year-old will use the Fall League to build up some innings. Back in 2018, the last time Carroll was fully healthy, he pitched to a 2.72 ERA over 37 appearances in the Minors and also appeared in 15 games for the Orioles in the Majors.
David Lebron, RHP: The Orioles acquired Lebron from the Rangers in February and he pitched to a 4.57 ERA during his first season with the organization. The 26-year-old spent the season with Class A Advanced Frederick and got off to a fast start, but struggled down the stretch. Lebron posted a 3.35 ERA in the first half of the year, but that number ballooned to 6.08 in the second half, including a 6.08 mark in August. The competition in the Fall League will certainly be a test for Fall League, but it will also present a big opportunity for him to take a step forward in his development.