Chad Kuhl

Chad Michael Kuhl

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 215 lb.
• School University of Delaware
• High School Middletown High School
• Debut June 26, 2016

• Born September 10, 1992 in Newark, DE USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Chad Kuhl debuted in the majors in 2016.

Kuhl was 1-4 with a 6.39 ER as a college freshman then 5-5 with a 4.42 ERA as a sophomore. He really blossomed as a junior, improving to 10-2, 3.75. He tied Mike Volpe for second in the Colonial Athletic Association in wins and was second-team All-CAA. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in the 9th round of the 2013 amateur draft; the scout was Brian Selman.

He had a fine pro debut with the Jamestown Jammers at 3-4, 2.11 with no homers and only six walks in 55 1/3 IP. He would have been 7th in the New York-Penn League in ERA had he qualified. He was 13-5 with a 3.46 ERA for the 2014 Bradenton Marauders. He led Pirates farmhands in wins (one ahead of top prospect Tyler Glasnow) and tied Jason Creasy for 7th in strikeouts (100); he also led with 15 hit batsmen. He was 7th in the Florida State League in ERA (between Edgar De La Rosa and Reinaldo Lopez) and tied Tyler Wagner for the win lead.

Kuhl posted a 11-5, 2.48 record for the 2015 Altoona Curve. He was third in the Eastern League in ERA (behind Michael Fulmer and Joe Biagini) and 6th in wins. He was called up to AAA for the playoffs, allowing one run in 7 for the Indianapolis Indians. From 2014-2016, he was 5th in minor league baseball in ERA (2.97) among the 34 hurlers with 300+ IP and was tied for 3rd in wins in the minors in that time. He opened 2016 on a sharp note with Indianapolis (6-2, 2.58). When Gerrit Cole went on the DL, Kuhl was called up to take his spot in the 2016 Pirates' rotation; all five Indianapolis starting pitchers would be called up before the All-Star break as he was preceded by Wilfredo Boscan and Jameson Taillon and would be followed shortly by Steven Brault and Glasnow with the 2016 Pirates starters struggling.

He had a tough assignment in his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 26, 2016, as he was facing ace Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, even though he gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, he was the beneficiary of a four-run outburst by his teammates in the 2nd and ended up a 4-3 winner. In his lone at-bat, he took Kershaw eight pitches, fouling off numerous offerings to tire the three-time Cy Young Award winner. On his last play of the game, he made a diving tag to get Justin Turner at home for a dramatic closure to his debut. He was relieved by Juan Nicasio with a 4-3 lead. In his second game, he went six innings and allowed only two runs against the A's but he was rocked in his third outing, giving up 7 hits and 4 runs in 2 1/3 IP against the Cubs.

He underwent Tommy John surgery in September of 2018 and had to miss all of the 2019 season as a result. He was 5-5, 4.55 in 16 starts 2018 and had been placed on the disabled list at the end of June because of right forearm soreness.

Notable Achievements

• NL Shutouts Leader (2022)

Sources

• 2016 Pirates Media Guide
• The Baseball Cube

Further Reading

• Jessica Camerato: "Kuhl's wife Amanda 'crazy selfless' amid battle with breast cancer", mlb.com, May 14, 2023. [1]

Related Sites

• Chad Kuhl on mlb.com