Thursday, July 20, 2017

Meet a Prospect: Tommy Kahnle


The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox pulled off a blockbuster of a trade on Tuesday night that brought three players from Chicago to New York and left four players turning in their Yankees pinstripes for White Sox uniforms. That much we know but how much does the average fan know about the former Yankees farmhand that was lost to the Colorado Rockies via the Rule 5 Draft that the team acquired in Tommy Kahnle? Now much? Well you’re in luck because this is Meet a Prospect: The Tommy Kahnle Special Edition!

Thomas Robert Kahnle was born on August 7, 1989 and has spent time in the Major Leagues with both the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago White Sox. First things first though and the first thing is High School baseball. Kahnle spent his high school years attending and playing baseball at Shaker High School in Latham, New York before heading to Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. It was in Boca Raton that Kahnle caught the attention of the New York Yankees who drafted the right-hander in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB First Year Players Draft.

Kahnle was assigned immediately to the Staten Island Yankees in the New York/Penn League where he made 11 appearances pitching to a 0.56 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. That was enough to earn Kahnle a call up to the Charleston Riverdogs in Low-A Ball for the 2011 before progressing to the High-A Tampa Yankees and the Trenton Thunder in 2012. Kahnle was developing fast, pitching fast and progressing through the Yankees system faster than many probably imagined.

Kahnle was invited to Yankees spring training camp in 2013 but ultimately did not make the team out of spring training camp. Instead Kahnle earned an Eastern League All-Star bid finishing the season with a 2.85 ERA with 74 strikeouts in just 60 innings. The Yankees left Kahnle available and unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft that season and the Colorado Rockies chose him in the draft. Kahnle was placed in the Rockies bullpen for the 2014 season and the right-hander made his MLB debut on April 3. Kahnle spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons in Colorado before being designated for assignment following the 2015 season and before ultimately being traded to the Chicago White Sox for Yency Almonte.


Kahnle was then traded to the Yankees this week where his professional career all began. Some are left scratching their heads as to why the Yankees would want Kahnle back but others see his amazing strikeout numbers and number of years of team control and see a guy to build a bullpen around. I am definitely the latter and not the former so let me be the first to welcome you back not only to the organization but back to the family as well. Welcome back Tommy! Stay a while this time. 

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)