PHOENIX — During the closing rounds of the 2021 MLB Draft, left-handed pitcher Kyle Backhus was on his way to the Frio River in Texas. There was no way, in his mind, he would be drafted after spending the previous five years pitching for Sam Houston State, and he accepted having to move on.
So, he spent the day with his friends, playing music and drinking Boone’s Farm wine on the river. His phone was connected to the speaker.
Suddenly, the music stopped, and Backhus received a phone call that changed his life.
“When I answered the phone and heard the D-backs were calling, I kind of had to give it a second,” Backhus told Arizona Sports’ Burnes & Gambo. “I went and grabbed me a water bottle and had to get to business.”
Backhus went undrafted but was offered free agent deal and a plane ticket to Arizona. Despite his expectations, he had an outside chance to one day make the major leagues. Putting his animal sciences degree to work would have to wait.
Four years after his day on the river was disrupted, Backhus made his MLB debut for the Diamondbacks at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Sunday, completing an unlikely journey to the majors.
“I wasn’t even thinking about getting signed or drafted at the moment,” Backhus told Arizona Sports. “I was ready to go get a job in the real world. So when I got signed, it was kind of, ‘I’ll give it a shot, see what we do.’ And my first year I went from Low-A to High-A pretty quick. After that it was like, I have a place here. And every season was a new level.
“It’s pretty cool to look back on.”
After a successful start to the season in Triple-A Reno, Backhus received word he’d be called up on Saturday. The Aces were finishing up a long road trip, so Backhus spent much of his night in the hotel laundry room, making calls to let his family know. After receiving a couple hours of sleep, he hopped on a flight to Cincinnati.
Running on adrenaline and the advice of his veteran teammates such as Ryan Thompson and Shelby Miller, Backhus threw a 1-2-3 inning to start his career, striking out Reds All-Star Elly De La Cruz.
Diamondbacks reliever Kyle Backhus details his first major league strikeout, which came against Cincinnati's Elly De La Cruz over the weekend. @BurnsAndGambo
The Clubhouse Call-In is presented by Dog Haus. pic.twitter.com/y7hkvU9qqT
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) June 10, 2025
The ball is in his locker, but he plans on gifting it to his parents.
There is a history of undrafted players who have made it to the highest level, notably All-Stars Frank White, Larry Bowa, Bobby Bonilla, Kevin Mitchell and Hall of Famer Larry Walker. But they are few and far between, as the vast majority of drafted players don’t even make the major leagues. For context, the current 20-round draft format has been around since 2021. In 2020, it was cut down to five rounds. Before then it was 40 rounds and previously 50 rounds.
“It’s not impossible, I think I kind of showed that going from undrafted free agent,” Backhus said. “It’s been hard, though. I’ve had a lot of people in my corner.
“One of my good friends from college, Colton Cowser, who’s with the Orioles, was giving me a lot of advice in the past few days of how to go about this game. Walking in on my debut, a lot of the guys in the bullpen kept me sane. I walked out there and had my head held high and I was comfortable. Honestly, there was no nerves. It’s paid off for sure.”
Why does D-backs reliever Kyle Backhus throw sidearm?
Backhus’ delivery is unorthodox, a sidearmer from the left side. From a tough angle for hitters to pick up, he throws a sinker and a sweeper to split the plate.
The southpaw didn’t always throw this way, as he started games in college with a three-quarter slot.
“Coming outta college, I was a fifth year, I had to become a starter that year. It was the year after COVID, so we had four-game sets … I think if we don’t have four-game sets, I think I’m sitting in the bullpen at Sam Houston with 10 appearances on the year.
“Got to the Diamondbacks, and I had Barry Enright as my first pitching coach. I still talk to him, and I’m grateful I crossed paths with that guy. We dropped the arm slot and I felt like as a reliever, it was a great spot to become unique. If I’m only getting an inning or two in a game, why not make it harder on the hitter? I don’t throw the hardest but try to do something that’s a little different. When I dropped my arm, I got results and just adapted.”
We've wrapped up our road trip, so now we bring you Kyle Backhus striking out Elly De La Cruz for his first Major League Strikeout!!! pic.twitter.com/tJwDHcNHuP
— Reno Aces (@Aces) June 8, 2025
Enright was an assistant for the D-backs during their 2023 World Series run and is now the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels.
Backhus compared his throwing motion to skipping stones, saying repetition allowed him to get comfortable. He also found inspiration watching Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale, who throws left-handed from a lower-than-typical arm slot.
Backhus is very early in his major league career, but he could become a valuable piece to this Arizona bullpen if he sticks.
The D-backs’ bullpen has been a revolving door with injuries and options. With A.J. Puk injured and Joe Mantiply having been let go, Jalen Beeks has been the only lefty down there for much of the year.
Backhus presents another option, as the group looks for a semblance of stability.
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