D-backs Boost Bullpen with Philip Abner’s Tricky Fastball
Abner, 23, was selected in the sixth round by the Diamondbacks in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Florida. He becomes the first player from that college-only class, which also features top prospects Tommy Troy and LuJames Groover, to reach the show.
During their off day, the Diamondbacks made another move regarding their bullpen. They selected left-hander Philip Abner from Triple-A Reno and sent down fellow left-hander Kyle Backhus.
Abner, 23, was selected in the sixth round by the Diamondbacks in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Florida. He becomes the first player from that college-only class, which also features top prospects Tommy Troy and LuJames Groover, to reach the show.
The left-hander began the season with the organization's High-A affiliate in Hillsboro in 2025. Between three levels of the minors, he's 3-2 with a 3.07 ERA, 70 strikeouts, and 16 walks over 58.2 innings. Throughout his minor league career, he's posted solid strikeout and walk rates.
Backhus, 27, will be in Reno until their season concludes on Sunday. He'd also be available to pitch in the postseason, should the D-backs make it that far.
Philip Abner's Arsenal
Abner won't light up the radar gun. His fastball averages 90.7 MPH, but it plays well beyond its velocity. When I talked to Abner in the fall league, he mentioned that hitters react like they're seeing something coming in at 95 MPH.
It's a tight-spinning fastball, averaging 2,444 RPM in Reno. Taking Bauer Units, which is spin rate divided by velocity, he sits just under 27.0. That has allowed him to get whiffs on the pitch, especially up in the zone. His 4-seamer gets a 36.0% whiff rate (9 whiffs on 25 swings) and a 13.6% swinging strike rate.
It also carries a pretty unique shape from an overhand arm angle. Based on the Reno pitch data, he's averaging 12.0" induced vertical break and 1.9" glove-side break. Most 4-seamers will break to the pitcher's arm-side of the plate, so it's already a different look for hitters. Another pitcher who cuts his fastball past the 0" Horizontal Break line is his teammate, Taylor Rashi.
Looking at the Reno results, batters are hitting just .105 off his fastball. The expected metrics also reflect there's a legitimate quality of contact suppression skill on the pitch, with a .120 xBA and a .146 xSLG. He could carve out a solid role with a unique fastball shape.
His primary secondary pitch is the slider. It borderline pushes sweeper shape, with a 1.2" iVB/10.3" glove-side break. Based on the shape, it should play well against left-handed hitters. In fact, lefties have yet to get a hit off his slider at the Triple-A level.
Philip Abner's MLB Projection
Abner probably isn't going to be a back-of-the-bullpen arm like Brandyn Garcia, but he has the stuff to become a useful reliever. He's the type of arm you match up against a cluster of left-handed hitters in the middle innings. He's more likely to pitch in what manager Torey Lovullo would call a "negative role", typically when the team is behind or tied.
If he makes the 2026 club, he'll be the third lefty after Garcia and Saalfrank. The team also has Kyle Backhus and Kyle Nelson as lefties on the 40-man roster as of right, although the latter looks like a non-tender candidate. A.J. Puk's likely return date is the All-Star break, or slightly before that if he hits the early end of his recovery timeline.
Abner, Backhus, and Garcia are three lefties that the D-backs can send to and from Reno over the next few years. Backhus will have all three options remaining (he won't spend enough time in the minors to burn the first one this year), Garcia has two, and Abner's 40-man clock just started.
Philip Abner is Postseason Eligible, Despite September Debut
The rule for postseason eligibility has always been understood as a player needs to be on the 40-man roster or 60-day injured list at noon on September 1st. That was more relevant in the past, when teams could still trade major league players in August.
Even though he was added to the 40-man roster in September, Abner will be eligible for the postseason. The D-backs will petition Major League Baseball to include him on the roster to replace an injured player who has already met the minimum time threshold on the injured list. He's been in the organization since they signed him out of the draft two years ago.
Arizona has nine players who meet this criteria. Seven of them are on the 60-day injured list, while Tyler Locklear and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have already spent the minimum 10 days. So it should be an easy call to add him to the postseason roster. In fact, they did the same for Andrew Saalfrank and Jordan Lawlar two years ago.
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