How Detroit Tigers' Tanner Kohlhepp is trying to become a top-level pitching prospect

The Detroit Tigers selected right-handed reliever Tanner Kohlhepp in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, but the No. 135 overall pick didn't make his professional debut until the 2023 season.

That's because Kohlhepp suffered right forearm soreness in his first minor-league spring training and underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2022.

Kohlhepp, who impressed several coaches and staffers in minor-league minicamp before the injury, didn't appear in pro ball until June 22, 2023, with Low-A Lakeland.

"It was just having to be patient," Kohlhepp, known for his lower-than-normal arm slot, said Nov. 2 at the Arizona Fall League. "That was the biggest thing, just being patient and trying to take advantage of the time that I had to get better, and then just let it be."

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Kohlhepp is back on the mound, and although he feels healthy, the 24-year-old remains in search of his command. Recapturing the ability to command his pitches is the primary goal for the 2024 season, which will be his second season — first full season — removed from Tommy John surgery.

Walks were an issue in 2023.

"It was pretty up and down," Kohlhepp said. "I didn't have a problem with getting my velocity back, but I really struggled with command. I'm trying to even it out and be more consistent."

Kohlhepp posted a 3.42 ERA with 25 walks and 39 strikeouts across 23⅔ innings in 20 games for Low-A Lakeland in Florida State League. He also had a 10.13 ERA with seven walks and 11 strikeouts across eight innings in eight games for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.

Kohlhepp, who faced 153 batters in the Florida State League and Arizona Fall League, produced a 20.9% walk rate and a 32.7% strikeout rate.

Cutting down on the walk rate (and maintaining the above-average strikeout rate) is the next step in his return from Tommy John surgery.

"Some days, I feel great," Kohlhepp said. "Some days, I feel like I have no idea where the ball is going. That's just part of it. It's testing my patience, like I'm trying to be a little more patient, but I'm also trying to take advantage of my opportunity."

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The Tigers sent Kohlhepp to the Fall League to accumulate more innings in preparation for a full season in 2024. If he locks in his command, and if he avoids a health setback, he could advance quickly through the lower levels of the farm system.

"This has been a whole lot of fun," Kohlhepp said of the Fall League. "I was in Lakeland for two straight years, so just to get a change of scenery is nice. Also, I've learned that I can compete at this level.

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"I've had success here and struggles here, but I know I can compete at this level. For me, I need to continue to pitch and continue to get out there. The more I continue to get reps, I think the better I'll be, and then hopefully, going into 2024, it'll be a lot better of a transition."

Kohlhepp ditched his 90 mph cutter but still throws his other three pitches: two-seam fastball, slider and changeup. His fastball velocity averaged 94.5 mph in Low-A Lakeland, while both his changeup and slider sat around 85 mph. The fastball, which maxed out at 99 mph in college, should tick up to average 96 mph in his second season removed from elbow surgery.

While rehabbing, Kohlhepp gained 20 pounds to fill out his previously skinny frame. Seeing big-league pitchers in the weight room at the spring training facility in Lakeland motivated him to bulk up.

He weighed 220 pounds in the Arizona Fall League, up from 200 pounds before the surgery.

"I wanted to use the time wisely," Kohlhepp said. "It's more for trying to stay healthy long term. I was too skinny. When you look at a big leaguer, you know that's a big leaguer by the way they look and by the way they're built, and I wasn't built like that. I needed to build my body more and put on that weight."

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Here's another positive: Kohlhepp has thrown just 158⅔ innings over the past five years. He tossed 87 innings in college, 40 innings in the Northwoods League, 23⅔ innings in the minor leagues and eight innings in the Arizona Fall League.

He has low mileage on his right arm and a fresh ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.

In college, Kohlhepp threw four innings at Tennessee in 2019, 21⅔ innings at Iowa Western Community College in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the remainder of the season and 61⅓ innings at Notre Dame in 2021.

"I threw a little funky, so that probably played a part into it," Kohlhepp said of needing Tommy John surgery. "I was also skinny, so my body wasn't necessarily strong enough. The way I was used in college may not have been the best in terms of long-term health, but it's also the reason why I got here."

Kohlhepp worked as a high-leverage, multi-inning reliever for Notre Dame in 2021. He posted a 3.08 ERA, 22 walks and 65 strikeouts across 61⅓ innings in 23 games, leading the team in appearances and finishing second in innings and strikeouts.

The momentum from his college career came to a halt when he injured his elbow before he could enter a game with the Tigers in 2022, delaying his professional debut until the summer of 2023.

Now, Kohlhepp is healthy again, searching for his command and preparing for a full season.

"I want to be a reliable reliever," Kohlhepp said. "I know I have the stuff and the capability to do it, but it's a matter of doing it consistently each and every single time out there."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Tanner Kohlhepp, finally healthy, in search of command