The season got out to a tough start of sorts for Tyler Mahle, as he didn’t record an out in the 4th inning, allowed three runs, walked two batters and hit a batter in 3.0 innings. Things went better the next time out, and got even better from there. Over the next four starts he allowed five total runs in 24.2 innings with just five walks and 26 strikeouts. He finished up the month with the Daytona Tortugas posting a 2.60 ERA in 27.2 innings.
The first start of May didn’t go nearly as well as April had ended. He allowed four earned in 6.0 innings with three walks. He rebounded well, tossing 6.0 shutout frames, but then struggled once again, giving up five runs in 6.2 innings. Over the final three starts he settled back in, giving up just five runs in 17.0 innings with just two walks and 18 strikeouts. He posted a 3.53 ERA for the month in 35.2 innings with 10 walks and 34 strikeouts.
June couldn’t have gotten out to a better start than it did for Tyler Mahle. In the first start he tossed 7.0 shutout innings with seven strikeouts. That was a teaser for what came next. On the 13th the only batter that reached against him was a hit batter in the 3rd inning, tossing a no-hitter against Jupiter with six strikeouts. That would be his final start for Daytona before he was promoted to Double-A Pensacola. The right hander didn’t start until the 23rd for the Blue Wahoos where he allowed three runs in 5.0 innings with eight strikeouts. The final start of the month was another 5.0 inning start with eight strikeouts, but this one came without any earned runs. It capped off an incredible month where he posted a 1.04 ERA in 26.0 innings between the two starts, allowing just one home run, four walks and striking out 29 batters.
For the fourth straight month things got out to a rough start. On the road against Mobile he allowed five earned in 4.2 innings with two walks and three strikeouts. He rebounded very well over the next three starts, allowing just one earned run (and three unearned ones) in 19.0 innings (0.47 ERA) with five walks and 12 strikeouts. The start against Montgomery on the 26th was a tough go of it for Tyler Mahle as he was charged with seven earned runs in 4.2 innings. Things rebounded well with an earned run in 6.0 innings with six strikeouts. The month saw a 3.67 ERA in 34.1 innings with five home runs allowed, ten walks and 22 strikeouts.
The month of August began with a 7.0 inning, four run game against Biloxi. The next time out he allowed no hits in 2.0 innings before weather intervened and cost him the rest of his outing. The next two times out he ran into problems, allowing 10 earned runs in 8.0 innings. The month ended with a solid start against Jacksonville where Tyle Mahle allowed two earned in 6.1 innings with three walks and seven strikeouts. The final start of the year came on the first day of September and it didn’t go well for the righty, as he allowed six earned in 3.2 innings on 10 hits and a walk. The final five weeks were tough as he posted a 7.33 ERA in 27.0 innings with six walks, six home runs and 27 strikeouts.
His season was good overall, but he saw plenty of success in Daytona, but ran into some struggles in Pensacola as he battled consistency. He continued to show an ability to pound the strikezone, walking just 37 batters with 141 strikeouts on the year with 150.2 innings. Where Tyler Mahle ran into problems in 2016 was in the home run department, particularly in Double-A where he allowed 12 home runs in 14 starts.
| Level | IP | H | ERA | HR | BB | K |
| DTT | 79.1 | 58 | 2.50 | 6 | 17 | 76 |
| PEN | 71.1 | 78 | 4.92 | 12 | 20 | 65 |
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Tyler Mahle Scouting Report
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Fastball | After finding more velocity in 2015, his fastball took a step backwards from there. He worked in the 88-92 MPH range most of the season, relying more on location that pure movement or velocity.
Change up | It’s an average offering with some armside run to it with a little bit of fading action.
Curveball | A pitch that works in the low-to-mid 70’s. It shows 12-6 breaking action and when it’s at it’s best can be a slightly above-average offering, but tends to play more average most days.
Slider | He will also mix in a slider at times, showing some sweeping action across the zone. It’s an average offering.
Nothing really sticks out in terms of his pure stuff where he’s solid across the board, but doesn’t have that one pitch that sticks out. His control allows his stuff to play up as he can generally locate all of his pitches well. He can’t afford to miss his spots though. If he can find the velocity that he showed in 2015, it would be a step in the right direction. At 88-92 there’s very little room for error, while when he was working 91-94 and touching 96 he had more wiggle room.
He projects as a possible middle of the rotation guy, but seems more likely to be a 4th or 5th starter in the lone run who relies on the ability to throw strikes. His struggles in Double-A could be telling that his stuff may not play well enough as is, but he may just be in need of making an adjustment or slightly better execution.
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