Kahnle a bonus in strong Yanks pen
One in a series
Back when it seemed the biggest stories in baseball during the 2020 season would be how the Astros would be treated following MLB finding they cheated during their 2017 World Series run and the introduction of a new rule that would require pitchers to face at least three batters during an appearance unless they completed an inning, Aaron Boone explained why he thought the Yankees were well-equipped for the change.
“For us, I don’t think much changes, especially during the regular season,’’ Boone said during spring training. “I don’t like to use our high-leverage guys when they get up and in [for only a batter or two] because we don’t pitch guys three days in a row or four [games] in five days. Unless it’s a unique situation, we’re not doing that for a hitter.”
The reason for Boone’s confidence was the Yankees’ bullpen and names like Adam Ottavino, Chad Green, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman.
Tommy Kahnle fits into that category as well and would have figured to play a major role in helping the Yankees adjust to the new reality. Over the course of the right-hander’s career, Kahnle has held righty hitters to a .663 OPS, while lefties have just a .668 mark.
It’s that kind of effectiveness to both sides of the plate that add to Kahnle’s value.
Now, with the start of the season delayed and plans still only being formulated for when games might begin, MLB will no doubt revisit plenty of rules, like roster size, playoff format — and almost certainly, whether it’s the right time to introduce the three-batter limit.
Either way, the Yankees will count on Kahnle in a bullpen that thrived last season in part because the Yankees refused to use a reliever three straight days during the regular season, as Boone noted.
They might not have that luxury in whatever abbreviated 2020 season is played and they want to keep Kahnle as effective as he was a year ago following a disastrous 2018, when he finished with a 6.56 ERA and WHIP of 1.629. He spent time on the IL with right shoulder tendinitis and a portion of the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
His rebound season was mostly due to improved health, but Kahnle also featured his changeup significantly more than ever before in 2020 (51.9 percent) and relied much less on his fastball (44.1 percent) than in previous years.
It’s hard to know how those numbers will be impacted by the arrival of new pitching coach Matt Blake, but one AL scout believes Kahnle can continue his success as long as his arm is sound.
“He knows how to use that change and he isn’t afraid of big spots,’’ the scout said. “He’s not necessarily a toptier guy, so he’ll hit his rough patches, but considering how strong the rest of the pen is, he’s not asked to do too much.’’ Kahnle has also shown his value during the playoffs. In last year’s ALCS against the Astros, Kahnle appeared in five games and allowed just four base runners and one run in 5 2/3 innings. His highlight came in a Game 2 loss, when he threw 2 ¹/3 perfect innings.
He’s been scored upon in just three of 15 playoff appearances since 2017 — though his poor performance in 2018 kept him off that year’s postseason roster.
Among the few red flags a year ago was the fact Kahnle allowed home runs at a higher rate than at any other time in his career, although he was hardly alone with that struggle. He also dealt with wrist tendinitis, which affected his performance in September.