Thomas R. Koehler (born June 29, 1986) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. Koehler played college baseball at

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system's ...

for the

Stony Brook Seawolves The Stony Brook Seawolves are the athletic teams of Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, United States. The school competes at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and joined the all-sports Colonial At ...

and was drafted by the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

in the 18th round of the

2008 MLB Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

. He played six seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. After not appearing in a major league game since 2017, Koehler retired in 2020 due to numerous injuries. Koehler ranks top ten in numerous Marlins franchise pitching statistics, including games started, innings pitched, strikeouts,

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and

walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. WHIP is calculated by adding the number of walks and hits allowed and dividi ...

(WHIP). He currently remains the last Marlins pitcher to have ever started 30 games in three consecutive seasons for the team.

Amateur career

Koehler attended

New Rochelle High School New Rochelle High School (NRHS) is a public high school in New Rochelle, New York. It is part of the City School District of New Rochelle and is the city's sole public high school. Its student body represents 60 countries from around the world. I ...

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

, where he played on the school's baseball team. During the 2002 season, he was awarded the rookie of the year award. In his

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

season, Koehler compiled a 5–1 record with 54

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s. That year, he was an all-league selection. During his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

season, Koehler went 6–1 with a 0.86

(ERA) and 108 strikeouts in 58

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. After the season, he was a

Rawlings Rawlings may refer to: *Rawlings (company), a U.S. sports equipment company *Rawlings, Maryland, an unincorporated community in Allegany County, Maryland *Rawlings (surname) Rawlings is an English-language surname. Notable people with the name in ...

All-Northeast, all-section, and all-state selection. He was also the Section I Pitcher of the Year, and the spring athlete of the year at his high school. Koehler was a three-time

letter winner In sports or activities in the United States, a letterman is a high school or college student who has met a specified level of participation or performance on a varsity team. Overview The term comes from the practice of awarding each such parti ...

at New Rochelle. In 2005, Koehler began playing

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

. During his first season, he went 2–1 with a 5.68 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 18 games, 8 of which were starts. During his

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

season, Koehler went 4–5 with a 5.17 ERA in 14 games, making 11 starts. After the season, he was named to the All-America East Second Team. In his junior year, Koehler went 5–8 with a 4.98 ERA, 1

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

, and 87 strikeouts in 13 starts. Koehler went 6–5 with a 4.15 ERA, 2 complete games, and 111 strikeouts in 14 starts during his senior season. Koehler was the last player at Stony Brook to wear No. 22, which was retired for

Joe Nathan Joseph Michael Nathan (born November 22, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cu ...

in 2006. The

drafted Koehler during the 18th round of the

2008 Major League Baseball draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

Professional career

Minor leagues

Koehler signed with the Marlins on June 5, 2008. He was assigned to the Class-A Short-Season

Jamestown Jammers The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team playe ...

of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

to start his professional career. He went 5–5 for the season with a 3.68 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 15 games. During the 2009 season, Koehler played with the Class-A

Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National ...

, and the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter, Florida, Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home game ...

. With the Grasshoppers of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

, he went 5–5 with a 3.20 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 18 starts. He then received a promotion to the Jupiter Hammerheads of the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, where he went 4–1 with a 3.38 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 6 starts. Between the two clubs that year, Koehler earned a combined record of 9–6 with a 3.25 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 133 innings pitched. Koehler started the 2010 season with the Double-A

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

. He was selected to play in the

Southern League All-Star Game The Southern League All-Star Game was an annual baseball game sanctioned by Minor League Baseball between professional players from the teams of the Double-A (baseball), Double-A Southern League (1964–2020), Southern League. Each division, North ...

that season. During the 2010 season, Koehler went 16–2 with a 2.61 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 28 starts. Among league pitchers, Koehler led in wins, and was second in both innings pitched and strikeouts. At the end of the season, Koehler won the Southern League Most Outstanding Pitcher Award. He also tied a Jacksonville Suns franchise record with 16 wins. In 2011, he pitched for the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

and was 12–7 with a 4.97 ERA. The following season, he appeared in 28 games for the Zephyrs and was 12–11 with a 4.17 ERA.

Miami Marlins

Koehler made his major league debut on September 5, 2012 against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. He struck out the first batter he faced ( Martín Maldonado), and pitched two innings, allowing four runs. He finished the season with a 5.40 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched. He made his first MLB start in the last game of the season against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, in which he went five innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out three batters in a 4–2 Marlins loss. Koehler began the 2013 season with the Zephyrs and became the franchise's all-time strikeout leader on April 14 when he picked up his 267th against the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

. He was called back up to the Marlins on April 19 to fill a long relief role and made six relief appearances before moving to the rotation to replace

Wade LeBlanc Wade Matthew LeBlanc (born August 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Yankees, Pitt ...

. He earned his first major league win against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

on June 20, pitching seven innings and allowing only one run. He finished the season with a 5–10 record and a 4.41 ERA in 143 innings pitched. Through the 2014 to 2016 seasons, Koehler made 96 starts for the Marlins. He posted a 3.81 ERA in 32 starts in 2014, a 4.08 ERA in 31 starts in 2015, and a 4.33 ERA in 33 starts in 2016. During the 2017 season, he made 12 starts for the Marlins with a 1–5 record and 7.92 ERA in 55 innings. Overall he pitched in 146 games for the Marlins over parts of six seasons with 132 starts and was 36–53 with a 4.43 ERA.

Toronto Blue Jays

On August 19, 2017, the Marlins traded Koehler to the

for minor league pitcher Osman Gutierrez. He made his first start for the Blue Jays on August 24, pitching five innings, allowing one run, and striking out seven batters in a 2–0 loss to the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

. He was then moved to the bullpen, where he made 14 appearances. Koehler finished the 2017 season with a 2.65 ERA and 18 strikeouts in the 17 innings he pitched for Toronto. He was non-tendered on December 1, making him a free agent.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On December 20, 2017, Koehler signed a one-year, $2 million, incentive laden contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. However, he suffered a strained right shoulder in a spring training game and was shut down for the start of the season. He underwent season ending shoulder surgery in July and was shut down for the season without appearing in any games for the Dodgers. The Dodgers released him on November 20, 2018.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On February 6, 2019, Koehler agreed to a minor league contract with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. He was invited to Spring Training for the 2020 season. On March 2, 2020, Koehler announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Pitching style

Koehler throws a four seam fastball, a slider, changeup and a curveball.

Personal life

Koehler was born on June 29, 1986 in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He has one sister, Erica. His parents are Theresa and Rolf Koehler. He married Ashley Westphal, a former softball player at Stony Brook, and they have two daughters.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Koehler, Tom 1986 births Living people Altoona Curve players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from New York (state) Greensboro Grasshoppers players Gulf Coast Pirates players Jamestown Jammers players Jupiter Hammerheads players Jacksonville Suns players Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players New Orleans Baby Cakes players New Orleans Zephyrs players Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York Sportspeople from the Bronx Stony Brook Seawolves baseball players Toronto Blue Jays players West Virginia Black Bears players New Rochelle High School alumni