Chad Michael Kuhl (born September 10, 1992) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

in the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

organization. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

High school and college

Kuhl attended Middletown High School in

Middletown, Delaware Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871. Geography and climate Middletown is located at (39.4495560, –75.7163207) with an elevation of . According ...

, where he pitched and played first base for the school's baseball team. He was named to the All-Delaware team in 2010. He then enrolled at

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 m ...

, where he continued his baseball career.

Career

Pittsburgh Pirates

After completing his junior season of

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

at the

, he was drafted by the

in the ninth round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. After signing, he made his professional debut with the

Jamestown Jammers The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team playe ...

and spent all of 2013 there, going 3-4 with a 2.11 ERA in 13 starts. Kuhl pitched 2014 with the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

, compiling a 13-5 record and 3.46 ERA in 28 starts, and 2015 with the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

where he was 11-5 with a 2.48 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 26 starts. He began 2016 with the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opene ...

. Kuhl was recalled from Indianapolis on June 26, 2016, made his major league debut, and got his first win that same night as the Pirates defeated the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

, 4–3. Kuhl pitched five innings, allowing three runs, four hits, and four walks with five strikeouts in his debut. He was optioned to Indianapolis on July 16 and recalled on August 9. After his August 9 recall, he spent the remainder of the season with Pittsburgh. In 14 starts for the Pirates he was 5-4 with a 4.20 ERA, and in 16 starts for Indianapolis he pitched to a 6-3 record and 2.37 ERA. Kuhl spent all of the 2017 season in the Pirates starting rotation. Kuhl started 31 games, posting an 8-11 record with an ERA of 4.35. On June 30, 2018, Kuhl was placed on the disabled list with a right forearm strain. He was ruled out for the season at the beginning of September. In 16 starts, he was 5-5 with an ERA of 4.55 in 85 innings. On September 19, Kuhl underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...

and missed the entire 2019 season. In 2020, Kuhl made his return to the mound on July 27, and threw 3.2 scoreless innings in a Pirates 6-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. He pitched to a 4.27 ERA in 46 and 1/3 innings pitched in 2020. He was also second in the National League in walks allowed. He was non-tendered on November 30, making him a free agent.

Colorado Rockies

On March 16, 2022, Kuhl signed a one-year contract with the

. He threw his first-career complete game shutout on June 27, 2022 against the Dodgers. In 2022, Kuhl started 27 games for the Rockies, recording a 6-11 record and 5.72 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 137.0 innings pitched.

Washington Nationals

On February 4, 2023, Kuhl signed a minor league contract with the

organization.

Personal

Kuhl married former beauty queen Amanda Debus in 2019.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuhl, Chad 1992 births Living people People from Bear, Delaware Baseball players from Delaware Major League Baseball pitchers Pittsburgh Pirates players Colorado Rockies players Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens baseball players Jamestown Jammers players Bradenton Marauders players Altoona Curve players Indianapolis Indians players