Why Brad Keller Is 'Going To Be a Lot of Fun To Work With' for J.T. Realmuto

CLEARWATER, Fla. — It was mid-July last season, the final series before the All-Star break when Brad Keller and the Cubs went into Yankee Stadium.

With his team up 5-0 in the bottom of the ninth, Keller faced all-world slugger Aaron Judge and the at-bat ended the way many do against Judge, with a deep flyball that sailed over the wall in right-center field for a two-run homer.

It was one of a few moments that seemingly changed everything for the 30-year-old starter-turned-reliever.

Keller allowed just one run in 28 appearances the rest of the way for a 0.33 ERA and 0.57 WHIP, in the process setting himself up as one of the most sought-after setup men in baseball.

The Phillies signed him in mid-December to a two-year, $22 million contract.

A small adjustment

"I kind've struggled going into the All-Star break," Keller recalled Wednesday in the Phillies' clubhouse at BayCare Ballpark. "We had a game against the Yankees where I gave up a two-run homer to Judge. Afterwards, we talked for a while about how I kind've got a little haywire with things.

"Our pitching coach over there gave me the most simple cue in the world, something that I wasn't really doing that I feel like my first outing after the All-Star break, something clicked and I felt really good with where I was at. I feel like I just rolled with that."

What was the simple change?

"As crazy as it sounds, it was just step before you throw," he said. "Which is wild to think because it's A-B-C stuff. But as I go down the mound, sometimes I rush through and start going with where my front foot lands. It's tough to get consistent command whenever you do that. It's basically let my foot land before I do anything."

A life-changing year

Keller didn't even expect to pitch in relief with the Cubs last season. He worked in the spring as a starter and stretched out to three innings.

He figured he'd spend part of the year starting at Triple A for the Iowa Cubs.

Instead, he spent most of the year pitching the eighth and ninth innings for the Chicago Cubs.

"I was basically destined to go to Iowa and be a bulk starter down there and see what happens," he said. "Definitely a career-changer, for sure."

The move to relief has taken Keller to a new tier. With the Royals, he was a No. 4 or 5 starter averaging 93-94 mph with his fastball and sinker.

As a reliever, he's averaged 97 mph with his four-seamer and sinker, all while incorporating a new sweeper that held hitters to a .148 batting average last season in 81 at-bats ending with the pitch.

J.T.'s take

"He's got a really good fastball, he's able to throw his two-seam and four-seam both to righties and lefties, which, that's two different pitches that are coming in pretty hot that you have to worry about moving," J.T. Realmuto said Wednesday after catching Keller for the first time in a game, a 1-2-3 first inning.

"His fastball cuts a little bit and the sinker's got really good to run to it. Those are both really good pitches, and then the slider, sweeper, changeup. He throws his slider for a strike a lot, and the sweeper's a good swing-and-miss pitch.

"He's a converted starter so he has a little bit more of a mix than most bullpen guys do, which is going to be a lot of fun to work with."

Keller's role in Philly

In Keller, the Phillies feel they have the right-handed setup man they missed last season after the departure of Jeff Hoffman, whose replacement, Jordan Romano, struggled all year trying to bounce back from injury.

And with the Phillies, Keller feels satisfied knowing where he'll be for a couple years.

"It's nice to have some comfort knowing where I'm gonna be this season," he said. "Last year, it was just a lot of unknown.

"When I first got in the bullpen when I first cracked into the big leagues, I was touching 98 at times. I knew it was always in there but my mentality was always starting. I was starting my whole career in the minor leagues and mostly in the big leagues so I was never really reaching back for anything.

"Last year was a little bit of a surprise, I didn't ever really have to reach back, it was just there, which was nice."

Keller, who leaves Saturday to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, retired Matt Vierling (L5), Colt Keith (swinging strikeout at 97 mph high cheese) and Gleyber Torres (4-3) in his spring debut Wednesday.

As his velocity and strikeout rate have spiked, Keller has also generated more groundballs than ever before. Phillies closer Jhoan Duran led all MLB relievers last season with a 65% groundball rate. Keller was 10th at 57%. "He's got the stuff to really do both," Realmuto said of the Phillies' new setup man.

"Last year, I had a high groundball rate and pretty decent strikeout rate so it just kind've depends on the situation," Keller said. "I just try to get outs and however it happens happens. But that's why I don't want to abandon the sinker, especially to righties, incorporating the sweeper as much to play those two off of each other pretty well."