From The Bench To The Bats With Trevor Kuncl

Trevor Kuncl isn’t a household name yet, but he’s certainly pitching like one. The George Washington University Alum and Cincinnati-native has transferred his independent ball success to the Minor Leagues and has worked his way into a high-leverage spot in the Louisville Bats bullpen. He was an elite closer for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts last season, but pitching never came easily.

In fact, he didn’t become a full-time pitcher until his second collegiate season, a move that changed his career forever.

“It turned out I wasn’t very good at hitting,” Kuncl said. “I don’t miss hitting whatsoever.”

Kuncl went from a utility bench bat in his freshman season to leading all Cincinnati Reds Minor League affiliates in saves last season. It was a long and difficult road.

He was recruited as an infielder out of high school and struggled initially, which prompted his two-way journey the following season.

“When I started pitching, I had to learn quite a bit, even in college, too,” Kuncl said. “I threw like 90% heaters, and then as my career went on, I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I need to figure some other stuff out.’”

He quickly ditched the utility role and recorded just five plate appearances through his final three collegiate seasons and still recorded plenty of strikeouts. Kuncl picked up five saves and a 3.47 ERA during his final season with George Washington in 2022, but the MLB draft came and went without any phone calls. That’s when Kuncl made a quick and fantastic decision.

“I didn’t let myself give up on myself, knowing that, regardless of the circumstances, I knew I had good stuff,” Kuncl said. “I know that once I got the opportunity, it would show.”

That opportunity came with the Lake Erie Crushers in the independent Frontier League.

“I went and played for our now big-league bullpen catcher, James Keller.” Kuncl said, “He convinced me to go play independent baseball, and I went, and I played, and I kind of got hit around a little bit.”

Kuncl posted a 3.62 ERA over 37.1 innings during his first season with the Crushers and realized he had to try something different to improve his numbers.

After that season, his family moved to Seattle, where he got in touch with Matt Kress, a pitching coach with Driveline Baseball, and went to work. He added a splitter to his pitch mix and tinkered with his breaking pitches, which transferred to on-field success. The following season, he posted a 3.10 ERA and became an integral part of the Crushers' bullpen.

After his second season in the independent league, he finally got the call he’d been waiting for.

Kuncl signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers in early February 2024 and was released in the final week of March of the following month, having not made a team out of spring training.

“It was cool,” Kuncl said, “Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out, but everything happens for a reason, God has a plan.”

Kuncl returned to the Frontier League in 2024 and put together the best season of his career. He earned a trip to the Frontier League All-Star Game in Quebec, which would be a career highlight at the time.

“The atmosphere alone was unbelievable,” Kuncl said of the game in Quebec. “I mean, they sold the thing out. There was a turf mound, metal bleachers that the fans like to bang on, and you could feel it on the mound below. It was some of the most adrenaline I've ever had. It was a really, really cool experience.”

His 2.47 ERA and 21 saves for the Crushers proved to be enough to get another chance at affiliated baseball, this time with the Reds. It was a dream opportunity come true for a chance to make his hometown team.

Crushers alum, Trevor Kuncl, has joined the Chattanooga Lookouts, the AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds!

Our 2024 All-Star closer signed a minor league contract in the offseason with the Reds and made an appearance in Spring Training.

Best of luck, @TrevorKuncl 🍇🔥 pic.twitter.com/35qKJ8hEm6

— Lake Erie Crushers (@LECrushers) April 2, 2025

“I was so excited because when I left for college, I didn't think my parents were necessarily going to move away from Cincinnati, so I didn't know that I was going to be the last time that I was going to live there,” Kuncl said. “But it's just been cool being able to sign with the Reds and know when I achieve my goals, I get to finally go home.”

Kuncl has been dominant throughout his quest to reach the Reds. His affiliated career, somewhat surprisingly for him, began with Double-A Chattanooga but that pressure of a high minor league level didn’t matter for Kuncl.

“I was a little bit shocked that I got to go there off the start, he said. “But it showed that the Reds really did believe in me and believe in the work that I did to get myself there.”

He excelled immediately by opening the season with a 10.2 scoreless streak, and finished with a 2.34 ERA and a Southern-League leading 20 saves, which led all Reds affiliates. He pitched so well that he was selected as a Southern League postseason All-Star in his first affiliated season.

1-2-3 💥

Trevor Kuncl strikes out the side! pic.twitter.com/djuyyNdnWl

— Chattanooga Lookouts (@ChattLookouts) April 23, 2025

The Frontier League was an integral part of Kuncl’s success last season, but it didn’t help just his on-field production.

“When I started playing independent ball, it's like, all right, I'll go and see if I can raise my stock and see if somebody will take a shot on me, and I ended up just finding out how much I love playing,” Kuncl said. “I found that love again. And whether that was a 12-hour bus ride from Quebec to Cleveland or whatever, it was, just falling in love with the process.”

His tumultuous collegiate career, tough times in the Frontier League, and his All-Star season in Chattanooga all culminated in a promotion to Triple-A this season, and he’s made the most of it. He owns a 1.86 ERA over his first 9.2 innings and nailed down his first Triple-A save on Thursday afternoon to finish a 1-0 Bats win in Iowa.

The further he gets into his career, the more talent that surrounds him, and it’s no different in Louisville. The Bats possess several strong arms who can throw over 100 mph, have big league experience, or a mix of both. Despite being a newcomer to the club, he’s working to stand out from the already elite crowd.

“Being able to learn from those guys and like, hear their experiences and like, how they attack it, or how they would attack it differently the next time, it's pretty cool to have guys like that around,” Kuncl said.

Whether it’s homegrown talent, developing pitches along the way, or being placed in a hypercompetitive bullpen, Kuncl has continued to excel at a high level. Now, the only thing left for Kuncl to do is keep pitching well in Louisville with the hope of a hometown return now within reach.