Richard Orion Kerkering is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball.
The Phillies selected Kerkering in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB draft out of the University of Florida, where he enjoyed a successful college career as a starting pitcher for the Gators.
Kerkering made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2023 after rising quickly through the team’s minor league system.
File
- Full name: Richard Orion Kerkering
- Stage name: Orion Kerkering
- Date of birth: April 4, 2001
- Age: 23 years old
- Birthplace: Huntington Beach, California, USA
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Baseball pitcher
- Height: 1.88 m
- Parents: Todd Kerkering and Sheli Kerkering
- Siblings: Samantha Kerkering and Ariel Kerkering
- Spouse: Unknown
- Children: Unknown
- Relationship: Unknown
- Net worth: $742,500
Early life and education
Richard Orion Kerkering is a baseball pitcher born on April 4, 2001 in Huntington Beach, California, United States.
He was born to his parents, Todd Kerkering and Sheli Kerkering. Orion has two older sisters named Samantha and Ariel. Orion attended Venice High School in Venice, Florida.
After graduating from high school, he played college baseball for the South Florida Bulls at the University of South Florida.
Orion’s ethnicity is white and he follows Christianity as his religion.
Career
Nick Kerkering began his baseball career playing for Venice High School and the University of South Florida, where he pitched for the South Florida Bulls for three seasons.
He started out as the starting pitcher before becoming the team’s closer. He finished his junior season with a 5-7 record, three saves and a 5.72 ERA.
In 2021, Kerkering played summer ball with the Orleans Firebirds in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. His strong performance caught the attention of scouts and the Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
After signing with the Phillies, Kerkering was assigned to their rookie-level Florida Complex League team and was later promoted to the Single-A Clearwater Threshers. He continued to dominate, earning a promotion to the High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws for the start of the 2023 season.
More promotions followed, with Kerkering hitting the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils and Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs during the year.
Overall in 2023, Kerkering had an excellent season at those minor league levels, going 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA, 79 strikeouts and 14 saves in 53.2 innings . His performance earned him the Phillies’ Paul Owens Award as the organization’s top pitcher of the year.
Kerkering’s hard work and steady progress through the minors culminated in his major league debut on September 24, 2023, when he homered in the 8th inning of no scored with two strikeouts against the New York Mets.
A few days later, he earned his first MLB win in relief against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kerkering would make the Phillies’ Wild Card Series roster, continuing to impress in the postseason.
Social Media
- Instagram username: @o_kerk50
- Facebook manager: Orion Kerkering
- Twitter name: @Phillies
Personal life
Richard Orion Kerkering is a professional baseball pitcher but details about his personal life and relationship status are not yet public.
Kerkering has chosen not to disclose any information regarding his romantic relationship or private matters to the media in his personal capacity.
Net worth
Orion Kerkering, a professional baseball pitcher, is estimated to have a net worth of $742,500. That number is based on his current one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, which guarantees him that amount of money.
As a professional athlete, Kerkering’s main source of income is his MLB contract. The $742,500 contract with the Phillies represents the base salary he will earn over the course of the one-year deal.
This does not include any potential bonuses, incentives or endorsement deals that could further increase his Net Worth.
