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Tom Koehler didn’t have his best season for the Marlins in 2016, but he did provide a durable arm for a Marlins rotation that saw many starters spent time on the disabled list (Koehler didn’t spend any time on the DL last season). Koehler was an important part of the Marlins rotation when Miami placed two pitchers on the disabled list in August.
Without Adam Conley and Wei-Yin Chen, and with the most of the rotation struggling, Miami relied on Koehler to deliver consistent outings. Koehler’s best month of the season came in July, when he compiled a season-low 3.33 ERA, while allowing batters to bat .248 against him. Koehler, 30, continued his success in August, when he posted an ERA of 3.50, while striking out 32 batters.
In every other month, Koehler’s ERA was never lower than 4.50. In Koehler’s last start of the season, he delivered one of his worst outings. He allowed five runs and five walks in only three innings against the Washington Nationals. One of his best starts came against the Cleveland Indians, when he allowed zero runs and three hits, while fanning six batters in six innings pitched.
Koehler produced slightly better results when he pitched at home, as he had a 4.15 ERA at Marlins Park, compared to a 4.48 ERA on the road. The right-hander produced similar numbers against southpaws and righties. Against left-handers, he allowed batters to bat .259, while allowing right-handers to bat .263 against him.
For the season, Koehler went 9-13 with a 4.33 ERA, 147 strikeouts, and a 1.47 WHIP. His K% (19.0%), and his BB% (10.7%), were both increases from 2015. His HR/9 slightly increased from 1.06 in 2015 to 1.12 in 2016. His LOB% also increased from 71.9% to 73.3%. The amount of ground balls he allowed decreased from 290 in 2015 to 223 in 2016.
While Koehler’s numbers aren’t stellar, his durability was crucial for Miami last season. The ability to stay healthy will be key in 2017, as Miami’s starting rotation is already depleted. Koehler showed flashes of brilliance last season, and the Marlins would love if he could pitch that way for most of the season. Miami’s pitching staff won’t have a true ace, but Koehler will be one of the Marlins top starters next year. Everyone can expect Koehler to be a fixture in Miami’s rotation in 2017.