Kremer's splitter key to finding consistent success

WASHINGTON – Sometimes you have it and sometimes you don’t.

An adage applicable to your driver on the golf course, your falsetto at karaoke and a starting pitcher’s feel for off-speed and breaking pitches.

Dean Kremer doesn’t have an overwhelming fastball. It averages about 93.6 mph, according to FanGraphs, and opponents are hitting .304 against the offering this season. Last year, according to Statcast’s run value, it was the worst of his five consistent offerings.

When Kremer has found success, he’s mixed the four-seamer with well-placed cutters and sinkers, plus a curveball to change speeds. But last season, the right-hander found a new, effective off-speed offering: the splitter.

In 2024, he had it. But in 2025, he hasn’t.

The University of Nevada product had toyed with the pitch in seasons past, throwing it between three and 10 times per season from 2021 to 2023. It wasn’t until last season that Kremer implemented a splitter into his arsenal more consistently, and he found great results.

Last season, Kremer threw the pitch over 400 times, according to Statcast. Opposing hitters had just a .139 batting average and .248 slugging percentage, both of which were Kremer’s best for any offering.

But to start 2025, it has been a different story. An early correlation to begin the year doesn’t exactly equal causation, but the splitter was the first thing that manager Brandon Hyde pointed to when asked about Kremer’s start to the year. That’s no coincidence.

“Still doesn’t have the split going like he did last year at times, but this (Nationals Park) is a park he’s pitched well in,” Hyde said today. “A lot of lefties in the lineup today, he’s going to have to utilize it.”

Kremer has delivered a spitter 64 times this season. Batters are mashing .500 and slugging .929 against the pitch, by far his highest marks for any pitch in his arsenal.

The first splitter that Kremer threw this season went for a single off the bat of old friend Anthony Santander. The split was better against Kansas City, as the two hits off the pitch had exit velocities less than 70 mph.

But in his third start of the season in Arizona, the pitch was hit for a single in the first inning, then hammered by Pavin Smith for a single, then for two home runs off the bat of Corbin Carroll and Josh Naylor later in the game.

It’s no surprise then that Kremer’s start against the Diamondbacks was his worst of the young year.

None of those seven hits, as you may have guessed or deduced from quick math, came in Kremer’s last start against the Guardians.

Three splitters were put in play, only one was hit hard and all resulted in outs. Of the 25 splitters in that game, those three were in play, 16 were thrown for balls, five were fouled off and one was a swinging strike. 

While 16 balls may not seem like an ideal outcome, for a pitch like the splitter, you don’t want it living in the zone, as it was against Arizona. The best splits in the game are ones that start in the zone and duck out of it. And although the Guardians didn’t chase, misses below the zone are better than misses in the heart of the plate.

That, at least, is progress for perhaps Kremer’s most important offering.

Kremer faces a challenge tonight, as seven of the Nats’ starting nine will hit from the left side of the plate. But his start against Cleveland is certainly something positive to build on.

“Dean has kind of been a slow starter at times in certain years,” Hyde added. “I don’t think he threw the ball terribly the first couple of times, but it wasn’t his best for the first three starts. I thought his last start was way better execution.”

And with a starting rotation that has really struggled, Baltimore could certainly use some improved execution.

Breadcrumbs from the skipper

Brandon Young is back, but there’s no definite plan for him yet.

“We’re getting through this series and we’re going to see where we are. We brought Brandon Young back as a starting candidate,” Hyde said.

How about Kyle Gibson?

“We’re figuring that out too.”

How about Grayson Rodriguez?

“We don’t have any more information to share on that either."

Not much new to learn.

When asked if Charlie Morton could come out of the bullpen, Hyde responded that “anything is on the table at this point.”

Trevor Rogers is throwing tomorrow at Double-A Chesapeake and Chayce McDermott is getting close to making a rehab start.

Much to be determined without a lot of answers on the pitching front.