Detroit Tigers: What to expect from new left-hander Kevin Chapman

The Detroit Tigers added another left-handed pitcher to their upper minors, signing 30-year-old Kevin Chapman from the Independent circuit.

The Detroit Tigers have had a received a lot of production from their left-handed starters. Francisco Liriano and Matthew Boyd have each been pleasant surprises on the hill this year, while Blaine Hardy has looked halfway decent filling in as a starter recently.

The bullpen, however, has been a different story. Five left-handers have come out of the bullpen for the Tigers so far this season. Daniel Stumpf and Chad Bell are the only two who have been exclusively relievers. Stumpf has a 5.94 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP on the year, while Bell was DFA’d after an ugly 8.59 ERA through 7 1/3 innings.

Daniel Norris threw 8 1/3 innings out of the bullpen before going on the 60-day disabled list. He posted a 6.48 ERA. Ryan Carpenter only appeared once out of the bullpen, but looked bad as a starter with the Tigers and at Triple-A Toledo. The only solid bullpen lefty has been Hardy, who has a 2.45 ERA in just 3 2/3 innings in relief.

Needless to say, the Detroit Tigers could use another left-hander to carry between Detroit and Toledo. Many expected Jairo Labourt, who made his big league debut last year, to take on that role this season. Labourt was designated for assignment by three different teams this offseason and ended up back in Detroit. He was throwing in extended spring training, expecting to report to either Toledo or Double-A Erie. However, the Tigers had apparently seen enough, choosing instead to release the 24-year-old left-hander.

Labourt’s release allowed the organization to sign fellow left-hander Kevin Chapman. Chapman has four years of big league experience and should step right into a role with Triple-A Toledo, where the only other left-handed reliever is 31-year-old Caleb Thielbar.

Who is Kevin Chapman

Chapman was actually originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 42nd round of the 2006 MLB Draft out of high school. He wisely chose not to sign and attended the University of Florida instead, where he was selected in the fourth round in 2010 by the Royals.

The Royals shipped him to the Houston Astros in 2012, and Chapman made his big league debut in 2013. He spent the next four seasons predominantly in Triple-A, making brief cameos with the Astros. All told, he has thrown 55 big league innings with a 4.09 ERA and a 48/33 K/BB ratio.

Chapman was claimed by the Braves in March of 2017 and traded less than two months later to the Twins. The Twins released him in June of 2017, and he has been pitching in the independent leagues ever since then.

In 2018, Chapman tossed 6 1/3 innings for the New Britain Bees, a team in the independent Atlantic League. He had a 11/3 K/BB ratio and two saves. That was enough for the Tigers to bring the lefty back into organized baseball.

What he brings to Detroit

A capable left-handed arm. That’s Chapman’s primary role here, is to be a lefty on a team that has seen nearly all their left-handers either struggle or get hurt. Thielbar is a nobody prospect and Stumpf is struggling at the big league level. The Tigers need someone who is capable of pitching out of a big league bullpen – especially while Hardy is in the rotation.

Chapman brings a four-pitch mix: sinker, slider, changeup and curveball. He favors his slider above anything else, a pitch that generates a ton of pop-ups. His sinker sits about 92 miles per hour, although it has been hit hard for the most part in his career.

Basically, Chapman is a warm body who is better than Thielbar and therefore has a good chance to contribute to the Tigers at some point in 2018. They were looking for someone who could come in right away, and obviously did not feel like Jairo Labourt was that guy.

Next: Exploring a trade with the Seattle Mariners

Signing Kevin Chapman is not the sexiest move, by any means. More than likely, he’ll get a chance to pitch with the Detroit Tigers in 2018. While his track record doesn’t indicate he’ll have much success, the team needs left-handed pitching.