Texas Rangers Top 25 Prospects: #23, Kyle Cody

The Texas Rangers future is made up of the prospects currently in the organization. Which prospect continues the rankings at #23?

As we hit the middle of the offseason, we’re looking at the Top 25 prospects in the Texas Rangers organization. These are the players that have performed through the 2018 season and offer the most for the club moving forward.

#23: Kyle Cody, RHP

Right-handed pitcher Kyle Cody slots in at #23 in our Texas Rangers prospect rankings. A former 6th round draft pick of the Rangers, Cody had previously been taken in the 2nd round of the 2015 draft but questions about his elbow lead to the Twins pulling out of any deal.

At 6’7″, Cody possesses an imposing frame that could prove exciting to watch. He uses that length to generate a powerful fastball and a heavy slider that has proven dominant at the lower levels of the minor league system.

Cody started his pro baseball career with the Texas Rangers Low-A affiliate in Spokane. At 21, he made 12 appearances, 9 starts, for the Indians posting a 5.13 ERA. He showcased his ability to generate swings and misses with over a strikeout per inning average but he also gave up more than a hit per inning pitched.

In 2017 Cody split time with Single-A Hickory and High-A Down East with the majority of his starts coming with Hickory. In those 18 starts with Hickory, Cody saw a major decrease in his ERA at 2.83 and struck out 101 hitters in just 95.1 innings pitched. His WHIP sat at just 1.154 and he gave the Rangers a glimpse of the power he can bring on the mound as a starter. He made 5 starts with Down East and was dominant in those as well. A 2.05 ERA with an even better WHIP brought Cody into the limelight a bit when it comes to Texas Rangers prospects.

Unfortunately, Kyle Cody did miss the majority of the 2018 year with an injury so we can’t really evaluate whether he’s continued developing. In 2019, he likely will start out the season as a part of the rotation for the Down East Wood Ducks in High-A ball with a shot to make the jump to Double-A before the end of the year. He still will need a couple of years of development before he makes it to Arlington but when all is said and done, he has what it takes to pitch in a big league rotation.