Kyle Backhus on His Unconventional Path to the Major Leagues

Diamondbacks left-hander Kyle Backhus took an unconventional road to the big leagues. Following a successful collegiate career at Sam Houston State, he did not hear his name called in the 2021 MLB Draft.

Backhus didn't wait long to find an opportunity, however, as he signed as a free agent with Arizona the following month.

As an undrafted free agent signing at the age of 23, he faced a long road to the big leagues.

"I just felt like I had to be perfect with everything I did, being an undrafted free agent," said Backhus. "In reality, I didn't, I just had to be myself and pitch my game. Eventually, I made it here."

While he was a starter in his final year at Sam Houston State, he quickly shifted to being a reliever. He lowered his arm slot to his current sidearm delivery, using Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale as the model. The arm slot, coupled with a sinker and sweeper combination, makes him a tough matchup against left-handed hitters.

He quickly established himself as a potential sleeper prospect in his first full year in the organization. He pitched to a 3.27 ERA and a 34.5% strikeout rate between High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo in 2022. The following year saw him reach Triple-A, one step away from the big leagues.

Backhus was on the doorstep of the major leagues entering the 2024 season, but an injury caused him to miss the first two months of the season. Despite a solid year in Reno, the Diamondbacks decided to risk losing him to the Rule 5 Draft last winter. Their gamble was successful after the left-hander went unselected.

Even though he wasn't added to the 40-man roster in the winter, he still had a strong path to the major leagues with a good year in Reno. He excelled in 24 appearances with Reno, posting a 2.22 ERA with a 33.0% strikeout rate and a career-low 9.2% walk rate. It was the biggest difference between his strikeout and walk rate of his career to date.

An opportunity for Backhus opened up with the injury to A.J. Puk, coupled with the struggles of fellow left-handers Joe Mantiply and José Castillo. With Arizona struggling to find capable relief arms, they took a chance on a pitcher who had continued to defy the odds.

When Backhus was informed of his promotion, there weren't any hijinks involved. The first person he called was his wife, then later his family. His family will be in attendance Monday night, as the Diamondbacks take on the Seattle Mariners.

"We finished our game in OKC, got told, had to pack up there. We had a two-week road trip that we were finishing up, so I had no clothes that were clean. So I did laundry in the hotel laundry room and made all my calls and basically got an hour and a half to two hours of sleep. I was on a flight to Cincinnati and got in the game," Backhus said.

He was officially selected to the major league roster Sunday and made his major league debut that afternoon. It was a scoreless eighth inning, inducing two weakly-hit balls, and he rung up Reds All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz on a backdoor sweeper.

"It was pretty cool, I try not to think too much about it, try not to get overwhelmed with it. After the fact, I noticed who it was, and it was pretty cool and special," he said.

Backhus credited his teammates for helping with the transition, telling him, "go be you". He didn't exhibit any nerves until he was ready to throw his first pitch, then it was business as usual. 11 pitches later, he's forever in the books as a major leaguer.

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