Pirates A to Z: Chad Kuhl celebrated every step in return from Tommy John surgery to starter

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Anthony Alford to pitcher Trevor Williams.

Player: Chad Kuhl

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 28

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 215 pounds

2020 MLB statistics: 2-3 with a 4.27 ERA and 1.360 WHIP in 46⅓ innings over 11 games, including nine starts

Contract: Enters second year of arbitration after agreeing to play for $840,000 last season

Acquired: Drafted by the Pirates in the ninth round in 2013

This past season: Kuhl was the comeback story of the year for the Pirates, pitching in a major-league game for the first time in two years following rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery.

The shutdown of spring training amid the coronavirus pandemic proved to be a blessing for Kuhl, as it gave him time to recover and build up his pitch count. By summer camp, he was angling for a spot in the starting rotation. But the Pirates had plans to bring him along slowly.

After pitching piggyback with Steven Brault for two games — the second of which he left after facing only seven batters because of a blister on his finger — Kuhl made his first start on Aug. 7 against the Detroit Tigers.

After five days of soaking his finger in lime juice, Kuhl allowed one hit and one run in four innings while striking out seven batters and walking none – only to see Brault give up four runs on three hits and three walks in relief on the way to a 17-13 loss. But Kuhl focused on where he was able to make strides in a short time, such as a better mound presence.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve gone through a lot, just the past few years,” Kuhl said. “I think being able, when I get the pitch counts, being able to roll and finish strong and do all the things that a big-league starter needs to do.”

Kuhl had five or more strikeouts in six of his nine starts and pitched five or more innings in five starts. His final outing was his best of the season. He allowed two hits, three walks and had five strikeouts in seven scoreless innings in a 7-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 24, facing 26 batters and throwing 98 pitches.

“It’s a good feeling when you put together good start after good start,” Kuhl said. “Kind of get it rolling and you want to get the ball again. Super pleased with what I was able to accomplish this year.”

What the Pirates were pleased with was how Kuhl incorporated more breaking balls into his pitching repertoire. He threw his slider on 34.5% of his pitches, up from 19.8% in 2018, and batters hit .194 against it. Kuhl increased his curveball from 13.1% to 17.6% , for a .071 batting average against. It’s a development he embraced.

Chad Kuhl, Nasty 90mph Dead Zone Slider...and Sword. ⚔️#KuhlWhiff pic.twitter.com/XjLMmkolfK

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 15, 2020

Talked Chad Kuhl and his pitch usage yesterday on @ATTSportsNetPIT pregame show with @robkinger91 pic.twitter.com/tirEgJ8IKB

— Michael McKenry (@theFortMcKenry) August 15, 2020

“I feel like I’m able to throw the curveball for strikes. I’ve always kind of had a decent feel of slider for strike, slider for contact, slider for swing and miss,” Kuhl said. “Just being able to have the curveball for action pitch, strike one or putting people away with it, I think just has been huge, and that just comes with throwing it more.”

The Pirates closely monitored Kuhl’s workload, changing his routine so that he reduced his workload between outings. The results were mixed; he had the best rate of strikeouts per nine innings (8.5) of his career but his worst rate of walks per nine (5.4). The emphasis, however, was on his pitch sequencing and the use of the breaking pitches.

“We love both of his breaking balls, the curveball and the slider, the high spin that they get, the swing-and-miss, chase that they get, absolutely,” Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin said. “Playing off of those and working the fastball off of those pitches has probably been the best thing for him.”

He’s gonna be one Kuhl kid.

Congrats to Chad and Amanda ? pic.twitter.com/rJutqZOGFx

— Pirates (@Pirates) November 3, 2020

Guys, big news ? pic.twitter.com/PIYIntO7cd

— Amanda Kuhl (@RealMrsKuhl) November 2, 2020

The future: Kuhl’s strong finish was a promising sign for earning a spot in the starting rotation next season, but his biggest development came when Kuhl and his wife Amanda learned that they were expecting a baby boy.

And, a few days later, another Delaware product made some headlines when Joe Biden was elected president.

Entering his second year of arbitration, Kuhl is expected to receive a raise in salary to somewhere in the $2.2 million range, which still makes him affordable. With Jameson Taillon and Mitch Keller atop the rotation, Kuhl will battle Brault and JT Brubaker for one of the final spots in the back end.

For Kuhl, every step last season was worth celebrating.

“I think, Tommy John guys, you get really good at celebrating those small victories and everything that goes along with coming back from the surgery,” Kuhl said. “It’s just a good feeling. You want to just be normal. I’ve said that 100 times. You want people to stop asking how your arm is. You want people to kind of forget that that whole thing happened and just move on from it. I think it’s just another step in the right direction. It just feels good to be normal again.”