New-look Chad Kuhl prepares for return to Pirates
The first glimpse Pittsburgh Pirates fans and observers get of Chad Kuhl this spring could cause a double-take.
Kuhl said he will have a different look in his comeback from Tommy John surgery.
The 27-year-old righty has not pitched in a game since June 2018 but is on track to start the 2020 season. Through months of laborious rehab, Kuhl tweaked his delivery in a way he hopes will benefit what has always been a lively and powerful arm.
“I think you will notice the changes just from watching me throw,” Kuhl said.
“(The 18-month rehab) was a golden opportunity to clean up some things and lock in on what I was doing and not (be preoccupied by) any external factors like getting outs or reading other people’s swings and stuff like that. So (during rehab) you kind of get away from external factors and can really focus on yourself and what your body’s doing.”
Kuhl...Kuhl...@KuhlWhhip_11 talks about his progress as he prepares for Spring Training. pic.twitter.com/4deaDEy2yy
— Pirates (@Pirates) January 30, 2020
For Kuhl, focusing on his performance could make him an X-factor for the Pirates this season after they finished 2019 with the second-worst ERA in the National League (behind only the Coors Field-inflated Colorado Rockies).
Kuhl always has had intriguing stuff: a five-pitch repertoire with a fastball that averages about 96 mph and a quality sinker. If he can harness it in a way that builds off his 2016 and ‘17 seasons (an aggregate 4.30 ERA and 4.15 Fielding-Independent Pitching), that’s no worse than average major league starting material.
Or maybe even more.
That’s all a big “if,” though, starting with a complete recovery from Tommy John surgery.
“Where I stand with him is I want him to be healthy,” new manager Derek Shelton said last week. “That was my message … when I talked to him: ‘You being healthy is more important than anything.’
“Him being healthy is by far the most important thing, and then we can work from there.”
Where Kuhl ends up is a matter of speculation. His 144 games all came as a starting pitcher, but he could be a candidate to be a reliever in 2020. That would limit the wear-and-tear on the surgically-repaired arm, help highlight his strengths and fortify the bullpen for a team that appears to have five established starters.
The Pirates new front-office and management team, though, hasn’t publicly tipped it is hand.
“I am preparing as a starter,” Kuhl said last week, “but I haven’t discussed my role in any way shape or form with anybody.”
The outlook for 2020 is a conventional, normal season for #Pirates Chad Kuhl. And considering he hasn’t pitched in 19 months, that’s all Kuhl is asking for. https://t.co/DtsZCGXaNp
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 26, 2020
As Shelton said, the No. 1 priority for the early days of spring training for Kuhl is establishing his health. So far, so good in that regard as he was scheduled to use all his pitches during bullpen sessions this week.
Kuhl said this spring will be “preparing as I would any other season.”
“Just super looking forward to just normal life,” Kuhl said last weekend at PiratesFest.
“I think I am right where I need to be, and it’s all about preparing myself for this year and many years afterwards. I think that’s the simple best way I could put it. Competing and going about it, getting out of that rehab mindset and getting back to playing ball.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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