Kyle David Cody (born August 9, 1994) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 Texas Rangers organization. He made his

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) debut in 2020. 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 p ...

for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

Amateur career

Cody attended McDonell Central Catholic High School in

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 14,778 in the 2021 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa Cou ...

. He played for the baseball team, and was named the Gatorade Wisconsin Baseball Player of the Year in 2012, his senior year. He also starred for the school's basketball team, being named the

Cloverbelt Conference The Cloverbelt Conference is a high school athletic conference in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It consists of 17 schools from west central Wisconsin, located between the Eau Claire – Chippewa Falls metropolitan area and the Marshfield-Wisco ...

's Player of the Year as a senior, and played for the school's gridiron football team as their

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. He was selected as the 2011-12 recipient of the Pat Richter Award presented by WisSports.net as the Triple Play Triple Threat Male Athlete of the Year. The Philadelphia Phillies selected Cody in the 33rd round of the

2012 MLB Draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto ...

. He chose not to sign, and instead enrolled at the

to play

for the

. He pitched in the bullpen in 2014. In 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named a league all-star. Before the start of the 2015 college season, Cody was named an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. Cody produced a 4–4 record with a 4.91 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 66 innings in 2015. The Minnesota Twins selected Cody with the 73rd overall selection in the

2015 MLB draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

. Cody and the Twins did not come to terms on a contract, and Cody returned to Kentucky for his senior year. He produced a 6–2 record with a 3.35 ERA and 75 strikeouts in innings in 2016.

Professional career

The Texas Rangers then selected Cody in the sixth round, with the 189th overall selection, of the 2016 MLB draft. Cody signed and made his professional debut with the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

where he went 2–5 with a 5.13 ERA over innings. He split 2017 between 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 ...

and the

Down East Wood Ducks The Down East Wood Ducks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the owned-and-operated Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Kinston, North Carolina, and are named for the wood duck, a local colorful wa ...

, posting a combined 9–6 record with a 2.64 ERA over 126 innings between both clubs. He was named the Texas Rangers Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year for 2017. Cody missed the first three months of the 2018 season as he tried to rehab through right elbow inflammation. He made two rehab outings with the

AZL Rangers The Arizona Complex League Rangers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Texas Rangers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is compose ...

in July, throwing 5 scoreless innings. He underwent Tommy John surgery on July 19, 2018, and missed the remainder of the 2018 season. Cody missed the entire 2019 season as he continued to rehabilitate following surgery. Cody was added to the Rangers 40–man roster following the 2019 season. On August 20, 2020, Cody was promoted to the major leagues. He made his major league debut the next day against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

, pitching a scoreless inning of relief. Cody was named the Rangers Player of the Month for September 2020, and finished his first MLB campaign after posting a 1–1 record with a 1.59 ERA and 18 strikeouts over innings. Cody opened 2021 by going 0–2 with a 7.94 ERA over innings for Texas. On May 9, 2021, Cody was placed on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. On September 29, 2021, Texas announced that Cody had undergone debridement surgery of the labrum in his right shoulder, and that he would miss the first half of 2022 as well. On November 19, 2021, Cody was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

and outrighted off the Rangers active roster. Cody split the 2022 season between the ACL Rangers and 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 ...

of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League once he returned from injury, going a combined 1–0 with a 2.67 ERA and 39 strikeouts over innings.

Personal life

Kyle is the youngest of four children of Gene and Jackie Cody. When Kyle was three years old, he was a passenger in an auto accident which took the life of his four-year-old brother Tyler.

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cody, Kyle 1994 births Living people People from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Baseball players from Wisconsin Major League Baseball pitchers Texas Rangers players Kentucky Wildcats baseball players Wareham Gatemen players Arizona League Rangers players Spokane Indians players Hickory Crawdads players Down East Wood Ducks players Arizona Complex League Rangers players Round Rock Express players