SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks left-handers Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake, acquired in the Merrill Kelly trade last summer, made their spring training debuts this weekend at Salt River Fields.
The D-backs received strong value from trading Kelly on an expiring deal to the Texas Rangers for Bratt, Drake and David Hagaman, who are considered three of Arizona’s better pitching prospects, paired with Kelly’s eventual return as a free agent.
That set up the unique dynamic of having players just traded for each other in the same clubhouse, youngsters with a veteran to look up to.
“When I introduced myself, I made sure to tell him I got traded for him,” Bratt said. “He thought that was pretty cool, too. But he’s been another guy who’s been awesome to talk to and pick his brain.”
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“It’s a pretty cool thing that you get to meet the guy you were traded for,” Drake said. “I think not a lot of people get to do that often.”
Bratt threw 1.1 innings with three runs (two earned) on three hits with a strikeout and a walk on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. Had a couple playable ground balls led to outs, he may have gone unscathed, but he received experience working through jams against big league hitters.
“It’s a good time being out there with the big guys up there, first big league spring, first big league game, especially starting, it was fun,” Bratt said.
Bratt described himself as a pitcher who won’t “wow” anybody with stuff but who can command the baseball “with the best of them.”
He throws five pitches and hardly walked anyone last year (4.2%). He threw 122.1 innings with a 3.38 ERA in the minor leagues.
“I went in with the mentality to throw as many innings as I could and just fill up the strike zone, which I did a really good job of,” Bratt said. “I pride myself on that, being able to throw strikes (and) attack the zone. With the trade, it means someone wanted me. Not to say the Rangers didn’t want me anymore, but a team valued me a lot.”
Bratt said he was leading his Double-A Frisco teammates in stretches on trade deadline day last year when he was called over by the Rangers’ farm director, Josh Bonifay. Bratt asked if he could throw before having to depart and was denied. He connected with his new team in Double-A Amarillo the following day, as fortunately, the drive was only 5.5 hours.
“Definitely a shocking experience, but I’m glad it all happened,” Bratt said.
Mitch Bratt gets out of a jam in the first inning with a K against Blaine Crim. pic.twitter.com/llRJyPToj7
— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) February 21, 2026
Bratt, 22, said he had the option to compete for Canada in the World Baseball Classic this spring but chose to stick around in Diamondbacks camp, learning what he can in his first major league spring training and getting further acclimated to a new organization.
Kohl Drake’s Diamondbacks debut
Drake, 25, was a bit wild to start his outing with back-to-back walks against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, including Mike Trout. He retired the final six batters he faced with a pair of strikeouts.
Sunday was Drake’s first game since August, as a shoulder sprain sidelined him four starts after the trade deadline.
Drake said he started to feel normal throwing in January, and after battling some early nerves, he felt stronger with each batter.
“I try to just attack, get to a two-strike count as soon as I can,” Drake described his style. “I might have done that pretty well today, but after that, it’s just get to two strikes and get an out after that. Doesn’t matter how it comes to me, just as long as it’s an out.”
Diamondbacks top pitching prospect Kohl Drake threw two innings in his team debut today.
He said it was pretty cool meeting the player he was traded for this spring, Merrill Kelly. pic.twitter.com/Fxzk7Uu8X7
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) February 22, 2026
Like Bratt, Drake has been a strike thrower with five pitches, as he is working on a cutter this spring.
Drake cruised through the minor leagues until he reached the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last year, which challenges any pitcher to adapt to a different baseball and pitch in elevation. Overall, Drake worked a 4.23 ERA last year in 20 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
“I was having a pretty good season to start out, and then got to the PCL and found my struggles,” Drake said. “I didn’t adjust to it quite quick enough, but I ended on a pretty good note before the injury, and just trying to take that into this year.”
Drake has gotten a taste of Triple-A (eight games), Bratt will this year and a Diamondbacks team that has experienced ups and downs in pitching development could use some quality depth. At the time of the trade, general manager Mike Hazen said both Drake and Bratt would be “on the radar very quickly for us in the next year.”
MLB Pipeline ranked Drake No. 6 and Bratt No. 9 on the team’s prospect list at the end of last year, suggesting both arms have higher floors but profile as reliable back-end starters.
Remember the name Kohl Drake ?
Drake picks up 2 K's in his first outing of Spring ? pic.twitter.com/sj8tBgOyBB
— Reno Aces (@Aces) February 22, 2026
Reliever Taylor Clarke will start for the D-backs on Monday at the Cleveland Guardians, while Michael Soroka will make his debut Tuesday at the Texas Rangers.
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