In 2014, Mahle’s older brother Greg was a 15th-round pick of the Angels. (Editor's note: Greg pitched briefly for the Angels in 2016.)

The Mahle family lived 10 minutes from Angels Stadium in Anaheim, but father and sons were LA Dodgers fans. Now Greg has a family rooting section for Angels games, and Tyler can't wait to be a visiting player with the Reds at Dodger Stadium.

The brothers didn't become college teammates, but they hope to share the Major League life together in the near future.

"We didn't really bond until he went to UC-Santa Barbara," Tyler said. "We couldn't stand each other growing up. But then we got close and I was really looking forward to being with him in college. When we were young, we were always at each other's throats. Now I'm his biggest fan and he's mine."

June 2013: Tyler signed for an over-slot $250,000 after the Reds chose him in the 7th round, out of Westminster High School in California, via scout Mike Misuraca. 

So the younger Mahle passed up playing with his older brother in college in order to start his pro career.

In 2015, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Mahle as the 26th best prospect in the Reds organization. But he was moved up to #10 in the winter before 2016 spring training. And he was at #12 in the spring of 2017.

Tyler was up at 4th-best prospect in the Reds' organization in the winter before 2018 spring camp opened.

In 2015, Tyler was named the Reds Minor League Player of the Year.

On June 13, 2016, Mahle tossed a no-hitter vs. the Jupiter Hammerheads (FSL-Marlins). He faced just one hitter over the minimum—a hit by pitch in the third inning. He struck out six.

On April 22, 2017, Mahle pitched a perfect game in Mobile, striking out eight BayBears. It was the Southern League's first perfecto since Aug. 14, 1970, when Montgomery’s Chip Swanson bested Savannah.

"You go out there and it just happens by chance. I feel good. You know it doesn't happen often. It's unreal," Tyler said after his Pensacola team won the game 1-0. "(Our fielders) were in the perfect spots and they ran some balls down. They made some amazing plays."

MLB debut (Aug. 27, 2017): Tyler said he was surprised to find himself nervous. "In the clubhouse before the game, I was a little nervous," Mahle said. "It was a little weird."

At Great American Ballpark, the 22-year-old allowed three earned runs on four hits over five innings. He left after 92 pitches and with the Reds trailing the Pirates, 3-1. (Andy Call - MLB.com)

March 2, 2018: As a kid growing up in Southern California, Reds pitcher Tyler Mahle liked to do his own thing. That included playing baseball with two older brothers in the same house. One of Mahle's brothers, Greg, is a lefty pitcher in the Angels' system.

"They'd go out and hit in the cage in our backyard. And I wouldn't go out there," Mahle explained. "Then, once they came in, I would go out there by myself and hit off the tee. I was a young kid. I don't know why. I've always been like that, just to myself, doing my own thing."

That's not unlike Mahle's life in the Reds' clubhouse filled with several young pitchers. Though many players are outgoing or chatty, the 23-year-old righthander is often content to sit quietly at his locker and not draw much attention.

However, Mahle has stuff from the mound that's been hard not to notice for Cincinnati. He is competing with Sal Romano, Michael Lorenzen, and Robert Stephenson—among others—for a spot in the 2018 rotation.

"I think he's just more evolved than most pitchers his age. Fastball command, sometimes, is that last thing to show up. It's unusual for it to be the first thing," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Usually the first two things that show up when you sign a young pitcher are arm strength and a good breaking ball. He showed up with really good fastball command, some good deception and an evolved feel for pitching.

"Considering his age, he doesn't have a lot of contemporaries in that regard for such a young, inexperienced  pitcher." Mahle is the fifth-ranked Reds prospect, according to MLBPipeline, and No. 84 overall. (M Sheldon - MLB.com - March 2, 2018)

2018 season: The season started out well for Tyler Mahle as he allowed just one hit in 6.0 shutout innings to begin the year against the Cubs. But he allowed 10 earned runs over his next two starts that spanned 10.0 innings. He really settled in after that for the next two-and-a-half months. Over his next 15 starts he posted a 3.28 ERA in 82.1 innings with 83 strikeouts for Cincinnati. But right before the All-Star break he hit a rough stretch and only made it out of the third inning in one of his next four starts.

That led to the Reds optioning the young right-handed pitcher to Triple-A in early August. He finished out the minor league season with the Louisville Bats, making five starts with a 2.73 ERA. He would come back up to Cincinnati in September and make one start on the 9th, but that was the final time he would appear during the season. (Doug Gray - Redleg Nation - Mar. 17, 2019)

TRANSACTIONS

June 2013: Tyler signed for an over-slot $250,000 after the Reds chose him in the 7th round, out of Westminster High School in California, via scout Mike Misuraca. 

Jan 15, 2021: Mahle and the Reds avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year deal for $2.2 million.

Mahle can lock up hitters with a 92-95 mph 4-seam FASTBALL that he moves to both sides of the plate. He has an 86-89 mph CUTTER. His secondary pitches—a 75-78 mph CURVEBALL, an 83-86 mph SLIDER and has good feel for a 83-85 mph CHANGEUP thrown with nearly the same speed — are all average offerings now but play up because of above-average control. (Spring, 2017)

2017 Season Pitch Usage: Fastball 65.5% of the time; Change 7.2%; Slider 25.2%; and Curve 2.2%.

2018 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball 67.8% of the time, his Change 11.3%; Slider 19.7%; Curve less than 1%; and Cutter less than 1% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 93.1 mph, Change 84, Slider 83.9, Curve 77.9, and Cutter 86.7 mph.

2019 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball 57.1% of the time, his Change less than 1%; Slider less than 1%; Curve 22.6%; Cutter 6.5%; and Split 13.2% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 93.7 mph, Change 87.3, Slider 83.8, Curve 80.7, Cutter 90.4, and Split 87.5 mph.

2020 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball 55.9% of the time, his Slider 5.3%; Curve less than 1%; Cutter 27.7%; and Split 10.8% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 94.2 mph, Slider 85.6, Curve 80.5, Cutter 87.5, and Split 87.6 mph.

Tyler stands out for his superior command, pitch-ability and effective four-pitch mix.

“He’s one of the best command pitchers we have in the organization,” Billings pitching coach Derrin Ebert said in 2014. And it is still true as of 2018.

Mahle has figured out a lot of what pitching is all about. "I'm letting batters make their own mistakes, and I'm letting them show me how I'm doing each day, what's working and what's not," Mahle said. "I'm trusting the defense behind me to make plays. I'm getting a lot of ground balls. I'm just filling up the zone, and I'm living low in the zone."

Mahle said that he also worked with his father, Greg, during the offseason before 2015 spring training, to develop an out pitch.

"Last year and the year before, I didn't really have an out pitch," Mahle said. "I lived off of my fastball, especially last year. I moved my fastball in and out. My slider and curve were very average at best—really, below average. This year, they've been really great, working as an 0-0 pitch, or to get me over for an easy strike, or an 0-2 strikeout pitch. I don't think I'm overpowering. I think I get ahead of a lot of hitters, and they tend to make mistakes after that.

"My dad is probably my best pitching coach, and one that I've learned a lot from, more than anyone else," Mahle said. "He would watch all of the games, and he would tell me, 'You need an out-pitch. You need an out-pitch.' I kind of knew that, and I'm sure other people did, but no one really told me except for him. We worked really hard this offseason, and now I have two out pitches."

Mahle has skinny legs and a lanky frame, and his future depends on a lot whether he can add a tick to his fastball as he matures and gains strength. If he gains velocity, then his clean delivery and above-average control give him a chance to be a back-end starter.

Dayton pitching coach/former Reds' pitcher Tom Browning said that Mahle has grown up quickly in the professional ranks, and has a desire to learn and improve his craft.

"I think Tyler's well above his age as far as his maturity," Browning said. "He looks like he understands what he's doing. He looks like he has a purpose with every hitter he faces. Tyler has four good pitches, and he has a knack of knowing what to throw at the right time. He doesn't try to sugar coat anything. He throws a lot of strikes.

"I think it's gotten easier for him," he continued. "It never gets easier to go out there and win, but at least it gets easier with your preparation and you're approach, and you don't make mountains out of molehills."

Browning loves the aggressiveness that Mahle has displayed.

"I tell our pitchers, 'If you're going to get beat, get beat on your terms,' That is, throw the ball over the plate, make quality pitches, and if you make some mistakes, get beat by throwing it over the plate," Browning said. "Guys who pitch behind and walk guys, that's an easy disaster to happen. When you go out there knowing you have the opportunity to get your butt kicked, but you're going to be aggressive, you'll find out that there are more positives than negatives. Batters don't hit every ball, every hanging pitch for a home run, a double or a base hit. Batters miss pitchers' mistakes as well." (Curt Rallo - MiLB.com - 8/27/15)

Mahle throws strikes and keeps the ball low in the zone. And he has a purpose with every hitter. He really competes. He is a control/command guy with three solid pitches. He can alter his velocity to toy with the batter's timing. And he loves to pitch inside.

"I'm letting batters make their own mistakes, and I'm letting them show me how I'm doing each day, what's working and what's not," Mahle said in 2015. "I'm trusting the defense behind me to make plays. I'm getting a lot of ground balls. I'm just filling up the zone, and I'm living low in the zone."

Mahle said that he also worked with his father, Greg, during the offseason before 2015 spring training, to develop an out-pitch.

"Last year and the year before, I didn't really have an out pitch," Mahle said. "I lived off of my fastball, especially last year. I moved my fastball in and out. My slider and curve were very average at best—really, below average. This year, they've been really great, working as an 0-0 pitch, or to get me over for an easy strike, or an 0-2 strikeout pitch. I don't think I'm overpowering. I think I get ahead of a lot of hitters, and they tend to make mistakes after that.

The Reds use pitch counts and innings limits. And sometimes the two intersect with interesting numbers. One game in 2015, Tyler was taken out after 5 innings and 58 pitches.

"I'm pretty efficient. It's different for me to throw 8 innings (because I use fewer pitches.) It's a process. If you don't realize that, it can really get in your head. But I realize that.

"What I'm doing is let the hitters tell me how I'm doing that day," Mahle said. "If they're hitting it, it's not working and we'll stop throwing that and work with something else."

In 2014, Tyler ranked second in the Pioneer League in ERA (3.87), third in strikeouts (71) and fourth in WHIP (1.24) as a teenager in a decidedly hitter-friendly league

Mahle was asked what worked for him during his 2017 season. "It's just command," Tyler said. "Being able to command, not just my fastball, but my secondary pitches. That's pretty much it. Going out on a consistent basis and being able to command those pitches and trying not to fall behind because obviously you get in trouble when you do that."

Mahle is a command-and-control specialist, albeit one with decent stuff. 

In 2017, Mahle was named the Reds Pitching Prospect of the year by MLBPipeline.com.

What many observers find most impressive about Mahle is his demeanor.

"You can never tell if he's in a bad situation or a good situation just because he's always composed out there," Reds catcher Tyler Barnhart said in 2018. "It's special. It's something you can't teach."

Perhaps Tyler's demeanor stems from the way he grew up in Southern California. He always liked to do his own thing, even when it came to playing baseball with two older brothers in the same house. One of Mahle's brothers, Greg, is a lefthanded pitcher in the Angels' system.

Tucker Barnhart on Tyler: "He's a joy to catch. He makes our job really easy. He throws a ton of strikes. He's able to add and subtract on his fastball, which makes it difficult for hitter to really get a gauge of how hard he's throwing. At his young point in his career, he has the ability to throw a fastball at 88 and then jump up to 95 mph. He has a really good feel for pitching." (Mark Schmetzer - Reds Report - June, 2018)

 April 22, 2017: Tyler threw a perfect game in Double-A  Pensacola, that required all of 88 pitches. 

2018 season: The righthanded pitcher earned a spot in the rotation in out of spring training. At times he dominated – like in his first start of the year against the Cubs. And he was quite good through the first 15 starts of the season. He posted a 3.89 ERA in that stretch. But he struggled after that, ultimately being demoted to Triple-A in early August. Over his final eight starts with the Reds in 2018, his ERA jumped up to 7.84 and his walk rate ballooned as he walked 21 batters in 31 innings.

Some of that very well could have been injury related. Mahle was dealing with some shoulder fatigue late in the season that could explain how his second half turned out. But he also thinks there’s another reason that could explain some of it. Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the now 24-year-old believed he was relying too much on his fastball. And that he’s dropped his slider to throw his curveball more.

2019 Season: Mahle went 3-12 with a 5.14 ERA in 25 games. Mahle threw three pitches then, including a curveball that was thrown over 20% of the time. That was the highest rate of his career.

2020 Season: Mahle changed his pitch mix. He dropped his curveball and brought back a slider. Now Mahle was throwing his slider 32% of the time and his one-year curveball experiment was eliminated. In the shortened season Mahle had a 3.59 ERA in nine starts and strict out 60 batters across 47.2 innings pitched. It was a budding of good signs to come.

As of the start of the 2021 season, Tyler had a career record of 13-25 with 4.68 ERA, having allowed 53 home runs and 314 hits in 309 innings.

2021 Season: Mahle broke out last season at age 26. He struck out 210 batters across 180 innings and tied for the lead of all major leaguers with 33 games started. His pitch mix remained the same as 2020 and the results across a full season turned him into a more than reliable starter in the Reds rotation.

Traditional Stats: 33 GS, 13-6, 3.75 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 210 K, 180 IPAdvanced Stats: 4.9 WAR, 3.80 FIP, 127 ERA+, 8.4 BB%, 27.7 K%

RundownTyler Mahle finally put everything together in 2021. Building off a strong shortened 2020 season, the Cincinnati Red right-hander found his groove and overcame one of the worst defenses in baseball for a 13-6 record and 3.75 ERA.  (Nate Mendelson - January 18, 2022)

July 20-Sept 1, 2019: Tyler was on the IL with left hammy strain. Mahle felt something in his hamstring on his final pitch in the sixth inning and limped off the field.

July 6-24, 2022: The Reds placed right-hander Tyler Mahle on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain. 

Aug. 20-Sept 3, 2022: The Minnesota Twins placed right-hander Tyler Mahle on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Though Mahle said he felt normal Aug. 19 and an MRI taken of his right shoulder revealed no issues, the Twins placed the right-hander on the IL (retroactive to Aug. 18) with the hope that he'll be able to return at full strength after having several days to rest before he builds back up. 

Sept 3-Oct 6, 2022: Mahle returned from the injured list to make the start against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field -- and once again, he was pulled early after the right shoulder soreness that sent him to the IL two and a half weeks ago recurred during the second inning, when his peak fastball velocity dipped to 88.7 mph.Manager Rocco Baldelli said after the game that Mahle will again be shut down for several days, though neither of them could offer a firm indication as to what the next steps for Mahle’s recovery could look like.