Meet the Texas Rangers’ ‘silent assassin,’ whose bid for the 2021 rotation starts now
Kyle Cody is 6-foot-7 and weighs between 225 and 230 pounds, depending on how aggressively he’s been attacking his meals.
Shoe size: 16.
The right-hander was the Texas Rangers’ sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft from Kentucky, but only after he did not sign in 2015 as the Minnesota Twins’ second-round pick.
Minnesota is a lot closer to his native Wisconsin than Arlington, but so be it.
Cody was selected as the Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017, his first full professional season, and was as much a part of the Rangers’ rotation future as any other prospect.
But his elbow balked late in spring training in 2018, and then again over the summer while rehabbing. His next stop was Arlington, but for Tommy John surgery that put him out of sight and out of mind.
That changed last month with a few relief appearances and could change for good after Friday.
Cody was the Rangers’ scheduled starter Friday for the opener of a four-game series against the Seattle Mariners. The Rangers love his stuff and his composure, and want to see if both can put Cody in the 2021 rotation.
“He’s a little bit of a silent assassin,” manager Chris Woodward said. “I’d heard a lot of good things about him, but he’s been really impressive just how he handles himself. He doesn’t seem bothered by a lot. So, I’m excited to get him out there. I’m excited to get him out there on a more regular basis to see him pitch because it’s been really, really impressive.”
Cody was part of his first big-league spring training in February after being put on the 40-man roster in November. He wasn’t added to the 60-man player pool for this season until two days before Opening Day.
Had the coronavirus pandemic not altered the season, the 26-year-old would have headed to Double A Frisco with no expectations of making his MLB debut. However, that’s not how things worked out, and so his debut came at Seattle on Aug. 21 when he struck out the side in a dominant eighth inning in a game the Rangers lost 7-4.
He has allowed one hit in 4 1/3 scoreless innings in three appearance. His last time on the hill was against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 29, when he threw 39 pitches over 2 1/3 innings.
Woodward expected to cap Cody at three innings Friday, with the goal of getting him stretched out further over the final three weeks of the season. Cody is just trying not to get stretched too thin with all the new things he is experiencing.
“I think it’s just about taking every day one day at a time and just try to take as much in as possible without overwhelming myself,” Cody said, “and keep working hard on what I’ve been working on my whole career.”
But his career took a detour in late March 2018, when he first felt discomfort in his elbow. The Rangers attempted to avoid surgery, but a second twinge led to Tommy John surgery in July 2018.
Cody went into the rehab program at the Rangers facility in Surprise, Arizona, with other pitchers trying to find their way back.
Surprise isn’t the most exciting place during spring training when the road to a season is short. It can be a dreary place, despite the searing sun, where the road doesn’t seem to have an end in sight.
Cody, though, quickly bonded with the other rehabbers, including Edinson Volquez, Rafael Montero and Collin Wiles, and went to work.
“It was, honestly, really hard at first, being away from your normal teammates and normal life and being on the road and whatnot,” he said. “It’s something that took me a lot of time to get used to. Like I’ve said previously, my family and the people close to me, they, they helped me keep going and keep me positive.
“The group down in Arizona for rehab, it’s a lot of similarities that you have going on, so it’s kind of like your own little group and you’re in it together. That helped a lot, too. I would just say, yeah, that the group down there does a great job of keeping guys on the right track.”
Cody’s debut against the Mariners saw him pump fastballs at 96 mph with a wipeout breaking ball he says is more of a slurve than a slider or a curveball. He also has a good feel for a changeup.
The most successful starters have at least three quality pitches. Cody has thrown in a fourth, a two-seam fastball, to play off his four-seamer.
His stuff had played as a reliever. It’s time for the Rangers to see it at the start of a game, something he didn’t envision happening this season.
“It wasn’t really expected this year, how it’s gone,” Cody said. “I’ve been pretty grateful for the dominoes falling into place.”
