Does anyone remember how bad Tommy Kahnle was last season? I sure do. Kahnle had a 6.56 ERA in 2018 for the New York Yankees over 24 appearances. After an early IL stint, Kahnle spent most of his year at AAA. His velocity was down, sitting in the low 90s rather than the mid to upper 90s.
But in 2019, Kahnle has been absolutely incredible. His ERA is at 1.13 over 18 appearances and hasn’t given up an earned run in a month.
New York Yankees: The difference
Once Tommy lost his velocity in 2018, he never really got it back. His stuff was still there, but his success revolved on velocity. So, with less velocity, hitters saw the ball much better.
Once he went to AAA, he tried everything to regain his velocity. He also continued to develop off-speed pitches and eventually saw success with Scranton.
The 29-year-old would eventually get called up late in the season and was a bit better than early on, but still struggled. Everyone knew his potential, coming off a season with a 2.59 ERA in 2017, including a strong postseason showing.
After resting up over the off-season, his velocity was back this spring. Add that with improved off-speed pitches, it has made his pitch magnificently.
In no-doubt his best season, he so far has 21 strikeouts and six walks, picking up a win and four holds along the way.
During Friday’s 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Kahnle rang up two and got a pop-up to work a 1-2-3 inning in 10 pitches. On Thursday night, he needed just eight pitches to retire the side.
Tommy Kahnle is showing that he is much improved from the 2018 season. He’s having his best career season and is proving to the Yankees that he deserves more opportunities. Plus, if he continues to be efficient, he could start to see multiple innings per appearance. The Yankees will continue to lean on his success to fill holes in the bullpen made by the absences of Chad Green and Dellin Betances.