Kodi James Whitley (born February 21, 1995) is an American

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 ...

in the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

organization. He has 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 Cardinals. He made his MLB debut in 2020.

Amateur career

Whitley attended Cleveland High School outside of Clayton,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. In 2013, his senior year, he earned all-conference honors. Undrafted in the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

, he enrolled at the

University of Mount Olive The University of Mount Olive (UMO or Mount Olive) is a private university in Mount Olive, North Carolina. Chartered in 1951, the university is sponsored by the Original Free Will Baptist Convention and accredited by the Southern Association of Co ...

, 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 ...

. In 2014, Whitley's freshman year, he pitched to a 6–2 record with a 2.74 ERA over 13 games (ten starts), earning

Conference Carolinas Conference Carolinas, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) or the Carolinas Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) primarily at the Divisio ...

Freshman of the Year. That summer, he played in the

Coastal Plain League The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal League which operated in the area from 19 ...

for the Fayetteville SwampDogs. As a sophomore at Mount Olive in 2015, he appeared in 17 games (making 14 starts) in which he went 8–4 with a 4.41 ERA, striking out 88 batters over innings. After the year, he returned to play in the Coastal Plain League with Fayetteville, earning All-Star honors. Prior to the 2016 season, Whitley underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

, forcing him to miss the year. In 2017, he pitched only five innings. After the year, he was drafted by the

in the 27th round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...

Professional career

Whitley signed with St. Louis and made his professional debut with the

Gulf Coast League Cardinals The Florida Complex League Cardinals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. The team plays ...

. He also appeared in one game for the

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

at the end of the season. Over innings between both clubs, he compiled a 1.53 ERA and 22 strikeouts. In 2018, he pitched for the

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peori ...

, going 4–2 with a 2.51 ERA over 41 games (two starts), and in 2019, he began the year with Palm Beach before being promoted to the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

in April and to the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

in July. Over fifty relief appearances between the three clubs, Whitley went 3–4 with a 1.60 ERA, striking out 78 batters over innings. He was selected to play in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

for the

Glendale Desert Dogs The Glendale Desert Dogs are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility of the Chicago White ...

following the season. On July 20, 2020, it was announced that Whitley had made the Cardinals 2020 Opening Day roster. He made his debut on July 26 at

Busch Stadium Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. The stadium serves as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) f ...

against 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 ...

, facing three batters and retiring them all over one inning in relief. On August 4, it was announced that Whitley had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, and he was subsequently placed on the injured list. He returned to the team on September 22. Over innings with St. Louis, he compiled a 1.93 ERA with five strikeouts. In 2021, Whitley did not make the Opening Day roster. He was recalled on April 13, but optioned back to Memphis on April 17. On April 30, he was recalled again. On May 30, the Cardinals placed Whitley on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

with back spasms. He was activated on July 11 and optioned to Memphis. He was recalled to St. Louis on August 28 and spent the remainder of the season with them. Over 25 relief appearances with the Cardinals, Whitley compiled a 2.49 ERA and 27 strikeouts over innings. He was sent outright off the roster on November 1, 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitley, Kodi 1995 births Living people People from Clayton, North Carolina Baseball players from North Carolina Major League Baseball pitchers St. Louis Cardinals players Mount Olive Trojans baseball players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Peoria Chiefs players Palm Beach Cardinals players Springfield Cardinals players Memphis Redbirds players Glendale Desert Dogs players