The Pirates Prospects 2016 Prospect Guide is now on sale. The book features prospect reports on everyone in the system, the 2016 top 50 prospects, and the most comprehensive coverage of the Pirates’ farm system that you can find. Subscribers to the site get free and discounted books, with Top Prospect subscribers getting the 2016 book for free, and Annual subscribers getting $10 off. Both levels of subscribers can also get the book for just $5. Details on all three promotions can be found on the products page, and you can subscribe to the site or upgrade your current plan on the subscriptions page.
While the top 50 prospects are exclusive to the book, we will be releasing the top 20 prospects over the next few weeks. The reports will only be available to site subscribers, including those with a monthly plan. You can subscribe here, and if you like these reports, be sure to purchase your copy of the book on the products page of the site to get much more analysis on every player in the system.
To recap the countdown so far:
20. Willy Garcia, RF
19. Clay Holmes, RHP
18. Mitch Keller, RHP
17. Max Moroff, 2B
We continue the countdown with the number 16 prospect, Chad Kuhl.
16. Chad Kuhl, RHP
Kuhl has been a guy who has flown under the radar in the Pirates’ system. A lot of that is due to the fact that he’s a sinkerball pitcher who doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts and relies almost exclusively on a pitch to contact approach and getting quick outs. This isn’t a bad thing, but it’s a profile that is very common throughout the organization.
The thing that separates Kuhl from other sinkerball pitchers is his four-seam fastball. He consistently has been hitting 96-97 MPH with the pitch over the last two years. He still primarily relies on the sinker, but having another fastball that can reach upper 90s can definitely help, and the change in speeds could even allow his 90-93 MPH sinker play up.
One problem for Kuhl is the lack of a good out pitch. He focused on his slider development a lot in 2015, and went from the point of not being confident with the pitch early in the season, to getting some outs at the end of the season. His second half was amazing, with a 1.83 ERA from mid-June to the end of the year, with even better results in July, when he only allowed four extra base hits all month. He eventually moved up to Indianapolis for the Triple-A playoffs.
Kuhl drew the attention of several rival scouts this year, and the Pirates showed how much they liked him by holding him back from potential trades, instead being willing to deal guys who were rated higher than him coming into the season. He’s got the upside to be a starter in the majors, with a very effective sinker that has generated 58% ground balls over the last two seasons. If the slider develops into an out pitch, and he learns how to effectively use his four seam fastball, he could become a sleeper number three option.
Kuhl should jump to Indianapolis at the start of the 2016 season, pitching out of the rotation. He’s got a chance to make the majors at some point this year as a depth option. The Pirates have a lot of quality starting options, which could hold him back from a future in their rotation. However, if the stuff beyond the sinker continues to develop, he’d end up a guy who could force his way into the mix.
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