Kuhler Than the Other Side of the Pillow

2016 Bowman Chrome Chad Kuhl Auto

Today is the first day in a week that I've looked at cards.  My Grandmother passed away this past weekend.  While it is sad to lose a loved one, she had a very full/long life. The viewing and funeral was more of a celebration of a life lived than reflecting on the sad ending.  It was nice visiting with family I hadn't seen in years telling stories.  

Back to cards! Chad Kuhl wasn't much of a "prospect" coming out of college so he didn't receive the early Bowman treatment.  He had already made his debut by the time the above auto came out.  Like most players this card came out of the gate a little more hot, but has settled to the point where you can grab it for .99 plus shipping.  Such was the case with this one. 

I always like additions like this as Kuhl is projected to be in the Pirates rotation.  He has a big arm, but his command never really came around in 2017. He rarely would go past 5 innings. His ERA and FIP show about a league average pitcher, but the tax on the bullpen is rough over the course of the season

The Pirates seem to be trending towards the idea of putting a few multi inning guys in the bullpen to piggyback these short starts. Interesting to see how that plays out.  The Pirates may be cheap, but they haven't been shy about being the first to experiment with in game strategy. Its a well known fact that pitcher effectiveness drops drastically the third time through the order. If you have a roster that can limit that it may prove beneficial over the course of the season.  It takes a ton of depth so that will be the big test. 

Thanks for reading and thanks to Chad Kuhl for having a pun worthy name.