Being the first Israeli-American to sign a Major League Baseball contract and pitch in the big leagues is a distinction that comes about due to circumstances and timing, but for Dean Kremer, who has wholeheartedly embraced that identity, it has come to define his baseball career in a significant way.
Kremer is known not only as a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, but also as an essential member of Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. Considering Kremer’s family history, his close association with Team Israel is no surprise.
The son of Israeli parents, Kremer told Baltimore Jewish Times that he’s been “back and forth between the States and Israel” since he was born. “For the most part, I spent pretty much every summer growing up in Israel for extended periods of time, and that’s where I got a lot of my culture from,” he said.
The connection to Israel is one that has stayed strong and constant throughout Kremer’s life, and he said that “Israel feels like a home away from home, so it feels very normal to be there.”
Kremer noted that he didn’t grow up around Jews in Stockton, California, and therefore his parents “did the best with what they had, and they tried to keep it as if they were still at home,” meaning Israel.
Despite the rigorous schedule associated with being a professional baseball player, Kremer said he’s managed to go to Israel at some point in the offseason virtually every year to visit and spend time there with his extended family.
Over the years, Kremer has cemented his position as a mainstay of Team Israel, and he is planning to represent Israel once again in 2026. However, his representation of the Jewish state goes back to before Israel played in the World Baseball Classic. Kremer took the mound for Team Israel in the European Baseball Championship in 2014 and 2015. He then pitched for Team Israel in the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, as well as in the 2017 and 2023 tournaments.
“It’s an honor for me to represent the country on the field, and it’s something I’ve taken a lot of pride in. … I love it. … It’s a lot of fun. Israel is really a part of me,” Kremer said.
“Dean Kremer is more than an elite arm in our rotation; he’s a cornerstone of Team Israel,” Nate Fish, Israel Baseball Americas’ CEO and manager of Israel’s national team, told Baltimore Jewish Times. “Over the last decade, we’ve watched Dean evolve from a promising young prospect into a top-tier Major League starter. Throughout that entire journey, his dedication to this team has never wavered. He represents the very best of what we aim to achieve: competing at the highest level of global excellence while serving as a bridge for the Jewish community.”
“His commitment to represent [Israel] in the 2026 World Baseball Classic is a powerful statement about his character and his connection to his heritage. Having a leader like Dean back on the mound in Miami is a massive boost for our program and an inspiration for every young Jewish ballplayer watching him pitch for the Orioles and for Israel,” Fish added.
In addition to his affinity for Israel, Kremer’s Jewish identity also plays a pivotal role in his life. At a time when antisemitism is rising and anti-Israel sentiment continues to spread, many people have taken to hiding Jewish symbols and trying to keep a low profile relative to public displays of their Judaism. Not Kremer.
On Oct. 10, 2023, just days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Kremer made his first career playoff start for the Orioles in Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, becoming the first Israeli pitcher to start a Major League Baseball playoff game. With numerous family members in Israel, Kremer’s thoughts were with the state of Israel and his relatives during that tumultuous time, yet he took the mound amid a great deal of emotion and got down to business. And when he stepped onto the field, he wore his Star of David necklace. It got a lot of attention at the time, but for Kremer, there was no question that he was going to wear it.
“I’ve been wearing this since high school,” he said as he gestured to the Star of David that he was wearing during our interview. “I’ve always had it on. I’ve always had it out, because it just comes out of my jersey, ever since I’ve been playing. It’s something I take a lot of pride in.”
As for that playoff game so soon after Oct. 7, Kremer acknowledged that “it was very hard — emotionally very, very difficult.” In addition to dealing with the stress that came with his first career playoff start, Kremer was also “wondering if my family was OK and if everybody was safe, and making sure the country is still holding up.”
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do on a baseball field emotionally, but I’m glad I did it,” he said. “One of my teammates came up to me after … and he was like ‘that’s one of the hardest things that I’ve ever seen somebody go through on the baseball field,’ and he broke down, and I kind of broke down. It was definitely something that was challenging.”
After being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2016 draft, Kremer was traded to the Orioles in 2018. He spent some time in Baltimore’s minor league system, and he eventually made his major league debut on Sept. 6, 2020, when he took the mound for the Orioles against the New York Yankees. Kremer allowed just one earned run and one hit over six innings, while walking three and striking out seven.
Kremer has been an important part of the Baltimore community ever since, and he has enjoyed his time in the city. He recently signed a one-year, $5.75 million contract with the Orioles to avoid arbitration, so he’ll be sticking around.
“I love Baltimore. It’s been a really good home for me the last handful of years. And I look forward to coming back and doing it again,” he said. “I love playing in Baltimore — the people have been awesome. The community’s very close-knit, and they care. They care about baseball. They care about us, not only as players, but as people too. I’ve been very fortunate to make a lot of connections in the city, and they’ve treated me very well.”
Kremer’s baseball experience started when he was young, and it was relatively standard — up to a point. He began playing T-ball when he was 4 or 5 years old, and he stuck with the sport until the end of high school. And then Kremer had to make a decision.
“I didn’t really get recruited other than to the junior college that was kind of down the street, and it was either do that, go to the IDF and serve, or go be a normal student somewhere,” he said. “I ended up picking the first option and it kind of worked out. At some point during my time at the junior college, at San Joaquin Delta College, I started to sprout. I kind of got a lot better, really quick. And so that’s kind of when pro ball looked like it was going to be an opportunity.”
Kremer has become a role model to so many Jewish and Israeli fans of all ages, which is not something that he sought, but he is mindful of the responsibility that comes with it.
“It’s an honor to be considered [a role model] … I’m very, very honored to kind of bear that flag,” he said. “It’s something I think about every now and again. I try to make sure that I don’t screw it up.”
With the values instilled in him by his parents, it’s no surprise that Kremer has excelled, whether it’s on the field, in the Baltimore community, or on the World Baseball Classic stage.
“I think my parents did a great job raising the three of us,” he said, referring to himself and his two brothers. “They taught us, first and foremost, just to be a good person, just to be a good human, and the rest should kind of take care of itself. And we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and I truly do believe in what my parents kind of bestowed upon us growing up, and the morals that they value.”
At the end of the day, Kremer enjoys what he does professionally and doesn’t take any of it for granted. He loves pitching for the Orioles, and he also loves being part of Team Israel.
“Every time I’ve been asked whether I want to participate or not, without even thinking, it’s a yes,” Kremer said referring to Team Israel.
“To be in a clubhouse full of guys that are very similar to you — culturally and the way that they’re raised and their outlook on life — it’s really something special, and you don’t get to do it very often, so I do cherish every time I get to put on that uniform, because it means I’m going to be surrounded with people like me.”
Whether he’s wearing the Orioles’ orange, black and white, or Team Israel’s blue and white, Kremer gives it his all every time he takes the mound and is handed the ball. Dean Kremer epitomizes what it means to be a winner — whether it’s on the baseball field or in life.
