The Chicago Cubs were determined to not get caught again this season with an arms deficit.
Last year, injury and under-performance caused the bullpen to collapse early and there simply weren’t enough viable substitutes to pick up the slack. Although the relief corps eventually did recover and turn things around, the lack of bullpen reliability early on helped dig a hole for the team from which it never could escape.
So, this year, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the front office seemed set on stockpiling arms, just in case.
One of those arms was 29-year-old veteran Brad Keller, who was brought into spring training as a non-roster invitee depth piece but showed signs of being much more.
The Chicago Cubs’ Pleasant Bullpen Surprise
Keller was sporting a boost of upwards of 3.5 mph to his four-seam fastball and looked intent on sticking around. He impressed to such a degree that he was added to the 40-man roster and would eventually make the opening day roster.
Since then, the 8-year veteran has been one of manager Craig Counsell’s go-to pitchers, starting as well as working high-pressure bullpen spots. Although he sports a modest 3.38 ERA in 17 games, his efficiency and versatility have helped a stressed bullpen immensely.
Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic recently crunched some numbers to show just how good Keller has been:
“Of pitchers who have tossed at least 10 innings, Keller leads the Cubs with a 27.3 percent strikeout rate. But it doesn’t stop there, only Gavin Hollowell (7.7 percent) has a better walk rate out of the current bullpen than Keller’s 7.8 percent. Who leads the staff in ground-ball rate? Keller, at 59.2 percent. He misses barrels, gets weak contact and just does it all.”
Brad Keller’s Emergence
Keller’s emergence as a steadying presence has been one of the few pleasant surprises inside an inconsistent bullpen
“To have good seasons, you need some surprises,” Counsell told The Athletic. “From the start of spring training, Brad’s been a really pleasant surprise. In spring training, we thought we had something there, and I think he’s continued to deliver on that.”
“I still think Brad’s got more in him,” Counsell added. “We’re putting Brad in a lot of new experiences.”
The Long And Winding Road Here
Keller’s road here was a long and winding one.
He was drafted in the eighth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013, but eventually selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He was then traded to the Kansas City Royals.
In his rookie season with the Royals in 2018, he delivered as a swing man, working as both a starter and a reliever, posting a 3.08 ERA in 41 games.
He would go on to earn a full-time spot in the Royals’ starting rotation, but have diminishing success in that spot after the COVID-abbreviated 2020 season. He would eventually get put back into the swing man role and then hit free agency after the 2023 season. Last year, he posted a 5.44 ERA in 16 games with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox.
This offseason, however, the Cubs had their eye on Keller, with Counsell reportedly playing a pivotal role in bringing him to camp in the first place.
So far, the gamble on Keller has paid off.
Chicago Cubs’ infielder is on a 10-game hot streak at the plate
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