Cody Allen Eppley (born October 8, 1985) 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 ...

and coach. He played 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 Texas Rangers and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Amateur career

Eppley attended Northern High School in

Dillsburg, Pennsylvania Dillsburg is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,643 as of the 2020 census. Geography Dillsburg is surrounded by Carroll Township in northwestern York County. According to the United States Census Bureau, ...

, where he pitched for the school's baseball team. He then enrolled at

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...

(VCU), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

VCU Rams baseball VCU Rams baseball represents Virginia Commonwealth University in all NCAA Division I baseball competitions. This program, established in 1971, is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams possess an 867–792–5 record with a 155–81 recor ...

team, competing in the

Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universi ...

Professional career

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers drafted Eppley in the 43rd 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 ...

. He pitched to a 2.10 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 25.2 innings for the

Arizona Rangers The Arizona Rangers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, noncommissioned civilian auxiliary that supports law enforcement in the US, state of Arizona. In 2002, the modern-day Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the State of Arizona when the Leg ...

of the Rookie-level

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it f ...

and was named a Post-Season All-Star. Eppley was promoted to the

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Lea ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

in late August that year. He next played for the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

of the Class A

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 ...

in 2009, pitching to a 2.93 ERA in 67.2 innings out of the bullpen. Eppley started the 2010 season with the

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

of 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 ...

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

, allowing no runs in 18 innings. He was then promoted to the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are nam ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

in May and

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

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 ...

(PCL) in July. He finished the season with a 2.08 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 69.1 innings that year, and was named the organization's Minor League Reliever of the Year Award. In 2011, he was assigned to 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 ...

, the Rangers' new PCL affiliate. Eppley was called up to the majors for the first time on April 23, 2011. He made his major league debut that day, throwing two innings against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

. After allowing eight runs in nine innings, he was optioned back to the minors on May 23. Eppley served as the co-closer for the Express, alongside

Pedro Strop Pedro Ángel Strop (born June 13, 1985) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago Cubs. Career ...

, and was named a PCL Mid-Season All-Star. The Rangers designated Eppley for assignment at the end of spring training in 2012.

New York Yankees

On April 5, 2012, the Yankees claimed Eppley off waivers. He started the 2012 season with the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

of the Class AAA

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

and was recalled him on April 19. He was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after long reliever D. J. Mitchell was recalled to the Yankees on April 29. On May 4, Eppley was called back up to the parent club, along with outfielder

DeWayne Wise Larry DeWayne Wise (born February 24, 1978) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He graduated from Chapin High School in 1997 and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth round (158th overall) of the 1997 Major League Ba ...

, after pitcher

Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most ...

sustained an

Anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

tear. He was optioned back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 13, but was recalled just two days later to replace David Robertson, who strained an oblique muscle. Eppley, along with fellow sidearm pitcher

Clay Rapada Clayton Anthony Rapada (born March 9, 1981) is a Filipino American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Clev ...

, were used heavily during the 2012 season. He finished the regular season with a 3.33 ERA in 49 innings across 59 games. The Yankees did not include Eppley on their roster for the

2012 American League Division Series The 2012 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2012 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—the winner of a one-game Wild Card ...

against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

. However, he replaced

Eduardo Nunez Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male given name Edward. Another version is Duarte. It may refer to: Association football * Eduardo Bonvallet, Chilean football player and sports commentator * Eduardo Carvalho, Portuguese footb ...

on the roster for the

2012 American League Championship Series The 2012 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the New York Yankees against the Detroit Tigers for the American League pennant and the right to play in the 2012 World Series. The series, the 43rd in league hi ...

against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He pitched in all four games, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out four in 3.2 innings of work. Eppley made the Yankees' Opening Day roster in 2013, despite allowing nine runs and 14 hits in eight innings. He gave up four runs in 1.2 innings to begin the year and was optioned to Triple-A. After pitching to an 8.53 ERA with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre through 19 games in the 2013 season, the Yankees released Eppley on June 5.

Minnesota Twins

On June 14, the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

signed Eppley to a minor league contract, and assigned him to the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

of the International League. He opted out of his contract August 21. In 22 appearances with Rochester, Eppley finished 2–0 with a 4.88 ERA, striking out 20 in 24 innings.

Lancaster Barnstormers

Eppley made six appearances with the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

in September, going 0–1, giving up one run in 4.1 innings with four strikeouts. Despite now pitching in independent baseball, Eppley said, "being able to get out and wake up every morning and go to the ballpark, that's what it's all about."

Pittsburgh Pirates

Eppley signed a minor league deal 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 ...

on November 26, 2013. Eppley gave up two runs in 5.2 innings over seven appearances, with three saves, in spring training. He began the 2014 season with Triple-A

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, where he compiled a 2–1 record with a 6.43 ERA in 13 games. On June 19, Eppley was released by the Pirates.

Lancaster Barnstormers (second stint)

Eppley returned to the Barnstormers for the remainder of the 2014. He went 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA out of the bullpen as the Barnstormers captured the Atlantic League Championship.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

Eppley signed with the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseba ...

for the 2015 season and was an Atlantic League All-Star. He returned for the 2016 season and was again named an All-Star. He re-signed with the team for the 2017 season and was again named an All-Star. Eppley re-signed with the team for the 2018 season. He became a free agent following the 2018 season.

Lancaster Barnstormers (third stint)

Eppley signed with the

of the

for the 2019 season and served as the team's closer. He became a free agent following the season.

Coaching career

On March 12, 2020, Eppley announced his retirement as an active player, and signed on as pitching coach for the

. He did not return for the 2021 season and instead began working in the financial sector.

Pitching style

Eppley threw with an unusual sidearm delivery. He changed his arm slot starting in spring training before the 2009 season. By 2010, he was throwing that way full time. He threw a four-seam fastball and sinker in the high 80s. He also had a slider in the low 80s and an occasional changeup. Eppley's low arm slot made him very effective against right-handed batters, but also largely ineffective against left-handed batters. It also allowed him to generate a very large number of ground balls.

Personal life

Cody and his wife Caitlin were married on November 21, 2020. He has a brother, Nate Eppley, who was a pitcher out of

Rider University Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...

and was drafted by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

in the 29th round of the

2011 Major League Baseball Draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eppley, Cody 1985 births Living people Texas Rangers players New York Yankees players Baseball players from York County, Pennsylvania Major League Baseball pitchers VCU Rams baseball players Arizona League Rangers players Clinton LumberKings players Hickory Crawdads players Bakersfield Blaze players Frisco RoughRiders players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Round Rock Express players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Rochester Red Wings players Indianapolis Indians players Lancaster Barnstormers players Yaquis de Obregón players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players People from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania Venados de Mazatlán players