Kyle Cody | RHP
Background
Cody was a 33rd round pick (Phillies) out of high school in 2012 who declined to sign and instead followed through on his commitment to Kentucky. He had a 4.05 ERA with a 67/33 K/BB in 95.2 innings while bouncing between the rotation and bullpen as a freshman and sophomore. This spring he has a 5.80 ERA with a 42/11 K/BB in 45 innings, almost all as a starter.
Scouting Report
First things first: Cody is listed at 6-foot-7 and 245 lbs., so he’s a behemoth on the mound. He sits 93-95 mph with his fastball, touches 97 mph regularly, and holds his velocity deep into games. Cody also throws a mid-80s changeup and a low-80s slider, both of which are inconsistent but improving. His command has improved considerably over the last calendar year and Cody knows how to use his size to his advantage by pitching downhill. As with almost all pitchers this size, his mechanics can fall out of whack from time to time.
Miscellany
MLB.com and Baseball America ranked Cody as the 19th and 25th best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, respectively. Keith Law (subs. req’d) did not rank him among the top 50 prospects in the upcoming draft. The Yankees love physically huge pitchers and guys who have had success in the Cape Cod League — Cody chewed up wood bats last summer and was ranked the second best prospect on the Cape by Baseball America — though they usually look for college arms with more polish than Cody. He’s a bit of a project and may need three years in the minors before being ready to help at the MLB level. Cody should still be on the board for New York’s first pick (16th overall) and may even be available for their second (30th).