Phillies' new-look bullpen shines against big bats originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Phillies’ revamped bullpen was the talk of spring training on Thursday.
Brad Keller, Jonathan Bowlan and Kyle Backhus each threw live sessions against the Phillies’ best hitters, a group that included Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber.
The new arms were impressive.
Keller retired Harper and Schwarber on routine fly balls in the first session of the afternoon. Bowlan then struck out Turner and Schwarber in consecutive at-bats. Backhus kept everyone off balance with his funky sidearm delivery from the left side.
Adding Keller, Bowlan and Backhus to a returning nucleus of Jhoan Duran, Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks makes for a potentially dominant collection of relievers.
“It’s probably the best group of arms that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Rob Thomson said following Thursday’s workout.
The manager was especially impressed with how Bowlan and Backhus fared against the club’s veteran bats.
“They were really good,” Thomson said. “Bowlan was outstanding. He has a great arm, but he can really spin it too and he was throwing strikes. Backhus is a completely different look for people, that really low sidearm slot with velocity and sink. He filled up the strikes zone with sliders. He’s really difficult on lefthanded hitters.”
The Phillies acquired Bowlan from the Royals in the offseason trade that sent Matt Strahm to Kansas City. Bowlan, a 28-year old righthander with three years of major league experience, posted a 3.86 ERA in 33 relief appearances and one start for the Royals last season.
Backhus came to Philadelphia via a separate offseason trade in which the Phillies sent minor league outfield prospect Avery Owusu-Asiedu to the Diamondbacks. Backhus, a 28-year old lefty, had a 4.62 ERA in 32 relief appearances for Arizona last season as a rookie.
Keller is the most notable bullpen addition. He received a two-year, $22 million free agent contract after posting a 2.07 ERA in 68 appearances for the Cubs in 2025. The 30-year old righthander is a converted starter who shined in his first full season in a relief role.
Keller has been welcomed with open arms in his new clubhouse.
“Everything has been awesome,” Keller said. “All the guys here have been great. It’s been amazing. Everyone is super laid-back, which is awesome. Coming into a camp with a lot of veteran guys helps out a ton. I’m just getting my feet underneath me and ready for the season.”
Keller echoed Thomson’s sentiments about the potential of the Phillies bullpen.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “Obviously we have a lot of dogs down there, a lot of guys who throw hard. I’m just trying to fit right in, go out there and do my job, put up a zero and pass it to the next guy. I’m excited just to be a part of it.”