Coming Off Tommy John Surgery, Chad Kuhl Looking to Return Strong in Bullpen
Chad Kuhl has not had anything handed to him since being called up to the major leagues during the 2016 season. He made his Major League debut on Sunday Night baseball in front of millions of people across America and, to add to the pressure, he was facing one of the game's top starting pitchers at the time in Clayton Kershaw.
He handled the challenge then picking up a win in his debut, giving up three runs over five innings of work, and has tackled every challenge he has faced since then. Kuhl was coming off a year where he proved he could be a full-time Major League starter in 2017 and was looking to take that next step entering the 2018 season. However, he would face his biggest challenge yet and one that would change the course of his professional career.
Kuhl was throwing a strong game against the New York Mets on June 26th, 2018 giving up just two runs on three hits over his first four innings of work. However, he was pulled from the game due to a right forearm strain and was shut down from throwing. A few months later, Kuhl learned that he would have to undergo Tommy John surgery ending his season. The injury would force Kuhl to sit out the rest of the 2018 season and the entire 2019 season as he battled back to get stronger.
Now that he is ready to go in 2020, the Pirates are thinking of putting Kuhl on a different path and testing his strength in the bullpen. This is a move I agree with because it will give him a chance to lighten his workload and use the power stuff that he is known for more consistently. In his first two and a half seasons in the big leagues, Kuhl's fastball was in the upper echelon of the league averaging 96.3 mph.
If Kuhl can bring that kind of speed out of the bullpen late in games, it will leave hitters on their toes. However, the fastball is not the only pitch Kuhl has to fool opposing hitters. He has a four-pitch Arsenal and uses them all pretty consistently on the mound. His sinker is his most-used pitch at 36.5% followed by his fastball at 22.3%. He can throw his sinker anywhere in the zone and he likes to use it combined with his fastball early in the count.
Kuhl is not a strikeout pitcher by trade and tries to get batters out in the first couple pitches of the at bat. However, his off-speed pitches have the ability to get outs when he needs them. Late in the count, he goes with his Slider and Curveball, which have produced 32 and 25 strikeouts respectively. He works the slider down and in to righties and his curveball falls away from lefties. Both pitches are a nice contrast from the high speed fastball and keep opposing hitters off balance.
But Kuhl's bread and butter is making hitters put the ball on the ground. During the 2018 season, Kuhl created 100 Double Play opportunities helping eliminate runners on the base paths. This is a trait that could benefit Kuhl coming out of the bullpen and help stake his claim as a middle to late reliever. He would come in with that devastating sinker and be able to turn the game around with one pitch. Every bullpen needs a guy who can come in and get those big outs in big situation and the combination of Kuhl's speed and sinler he could be just the man for the job.
Prediction: 3-4 3.37 ERA (44 Games, 0 starts)
As I said before, I really like the idea of Kuhl transitioning to the bullpen rather than getting back in the starting rotation. I think he would thrive in that role and it would allow him to hit those 96 mph fastballs more often rather than saving his energy to last five or six innings. I also look for him to be the guy who comes in when guys are on base and working to get the Pirates back to the dugout.
As of now, the season is expected to begin somewhere around May 25th. Until then, we will continue to look at the men who make up this year's team and their contributions in 2020.
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