The Philadelphia Phillies might have some question marks with the lineup and the starting rotation entering 2026, but the bullpen looks to be as good as it’s ever been.
Jhoan Duran, the closer and the Phillies’ trade deadline pickup, is a huge reason for the optimism in 2026. He’s a dominant closer, with a fastball above 100 mph and some very solid off-speed pitches.
His four-pitch mix is already great, and it might be getting even better. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Duran teased that he plans on adding a fifth pitch this season. But he also wouldn’t reveal what that pitch is.
Phillies’ Jhoan Duran teases new pitch, won’t reveal what it is
“Maybe I put a new pitch in my arsenal. Maybe during the season, or maybe after the All-Star game, I’ll bring in a new pitch,” Duran teased.
When pressed about whether this new pitch is a secret or not, Duran answered, “It’s not a secret. I threw it in the minor leagues when I was a starting pitcher. Every pitch I have is faster, you know? So I want something to take a little bit of velo off.”
Currently, as Baseball Savant notes, Duran uses four pitches. He has a 4-seam fastball that he uses 35% of the time (average of 100.6 mph), a splitter he uses 40% of the time (97.8 mph), a curveball he uses 19% of the time (87.6 mph), and a sweeper he uses 6% of the time (87.2 mph).
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If he’s looking to add another pitch to this repertoire, and it’s one he’s already used before, it’s very likely to be a changeup. As Seth Stohns of Twins Daily highlighted in 2019, Duran’s changeup is a “work in progress.”
While it’s not a part of his current arsenal, if Duran is looking to bring his changeup back, then the Phillies closer could have another pitch to get batters out in 2026.
Last season for the Phillies, in 23 games, he had 16 saves with a 2.18 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched. There’s already a ton of optimism with Duran, and if he can add another pitch, whether it’s his old changeup or not, he could be even better.
