Phillies reliever José Alvarado thinks he’s ‘in a good spot.’ Here’s how an offseason of hard work helped him.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — This offseason, José Alvarado spent some time watching film of his 2022 self.

In May of that year, the left-handed Phillies reliever was optioned to triple A for two weeks and came back a different pitcher. Rather than despair at the demotion, he spent the time in Lehigh Valley working with a mental skills coach and revamping his cutter.

Before he was sent down, Alvarado used his cutter 30.4% of the time in May 2022. In June, after Alvarado was recalled, he turned to the pitch 49.2% of the time. It ticked up in velocity and had a 57.1% swing-and-miss rate.

While watching film this offseason, Alvarado said he paid attention to the way he gripped the cutter after his return to the majors. In Alvarado’s spring debut on Thursday, he pitched a 1-2-3 inning and liked what he saw from the pitch.

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“I see my cutter like 95 [mph],” Alvarado said. “I think I don’t need to change anything right now. I think I’m in a good spot right now.”

Alvarado’s cutter played well with his sinker, which touched triple digits twice. All three of his pitches — Alvarado also threw two curveballs — trended up from their average velocity last year.

“That happens when you’re working hard,” Alvarado said. “That doesn’t surprise me, because I’m working hard, because every time when I get the ball, I want to see that result.”

He credited the increase in velocity to a change in eating habits over the offseason that allowed him to lose weight. Alvarado said he switched his carbohydrate-heavy diet for one high in protein.

It’s a big year for the left-hander, who has a $9 million club option in 2026. He’s aware of the situation but doesn’t want to dwell on it.

“I come in like, every year, every day, it’s a new day, new opportunity,” he said. “You know, if I make it, I make it. If I don’t, I need to keep my head up and continue.”

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Others have noticed the hard work he’s putting in, including Jordan Romano, a newcomer to the Phillies bullpen this year who signed a one-year deal in December.

“He’s a super hard worker, so it doesn’t surprise me, in the gym and running every day,” Romano said. “He’s a beast, absolute beast.”

Romano made his own debut an inning after Alvarado on Thursday. It was the first time the right-hander has appeared in a game since May 29 with the Toronto Blue Jays, after his 2024 season was abbreviated because of an elbow injury that required surgery.

Like Alvarado, he showed off some firepower as he retired the side in order. Romano relies on a two-pitch mix of a four-seamer and slider, and his fastball was sitting between 96 and 97 mph in his first outing.

“I was kind of hoping to be in that range, especially Game 1,” Romano said. “... In bullpens definitely, I wasn’t throwing that hard, but I just felt like it would tick up one or two when I stepped on the mound, and that’s kind of how it went.”

Alvarado and Romano are not the only regular members of the Phillies bullpen to put a good foot forward this week in their first appearances of the spring. Neither Orion Kerkering nor Tanner Banks allowed a hit, while José Ruiz tossed a scoreless inning.

“I’ve admired these guys from afar for the last couple years, so I know how good they are,” Romano said. “But, yeah, seeing it in person is definitely different. We just all got to stay healthy, contribute, do our job, and we can be really good.”