The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Kyle Funkhouser as a compensatory first-round pick in 2015, but the two sides were unable to come to an agreement and Funkhouser would return to Louisville for his senior season. A year later, the Tigers felt they got a steal when they were able to snatch him in a fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
Funkhouser took the template trip through the minors early in his career. After getting drafted, he pitched rookie ball exclusively for Connecticut. In 2017, he started in Low-A West Michigan and got a late-season promotion to High-A Lakeland where he dazzled in 5 starts; pitching to a 1.