Professional baseball players hope to hit the ground running
at the start of their careers. With so many peers surrounding them, competing
for limited jobs, getting out strong is of the essence. A player with one of
the best starts one could hope for belongs to Texas Rangers pitching prospect
Cody Ege, who has piled up positive results in the early going.
The left-handed Ege was a three-time All-State selection at
Washington High school in Cherokee, Iowa, finishing with the seventh-lowest ERA
in state high school history. After a 6-2 record and 0.97 ERA as a senior, he
headed off to college at Louisville.
Ege immediately became a shutdown reliever for the
Cardinals. In 78 career games over three seasons, he was an impressive 6-2 with
a 2.45 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 58.2 innings.
He was 4-1 with a 1.04 ERA in 2013, with his biggest
contribution being the game-clinching strikeout he had of Vanderbilt’s Mike
Yastrzemski (grandson of Carl) to send Louisville to the College World Series. His
production was enough to earn the junior a 15th-round selection by the Rangers
in the that year’s MLB Draft.
As previously mentioned, the southpaw burst out of the gate
like he had been there before. He pitched at three different levels last year,
going a combined 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA in 17 games, while striking out 39 in 30
innings.
The 23-year-old is off to another strong start this season,
pitching for High Single-A Myrtle Beach. He is 3-0 with a 4.00 ERA and two
saves in 14 relief appearances, and has struck out 25 in 27 innings.
This past offseason, I was able to ask Ege some questions
about his career. Keep reading for more information on this fast-moving
prospect.
Cody Ege Interview:
Who was your favorite
player when you were growing up, and why?: While I was growing up I had a
few favorite players. A couple to name would be Cal Ripken Jr., Rafael Palmeiro
and Alex Rodriguez.
I liked Ripken because of the toughness he had. To play in
so many consecutive games is insane.
I liked Palmeiro because of his beautiful left handed swing.
And A-Rod always had my attention from the beginning because he dominated at a
young age.
How did you wind up
attending Louisville?: Matt Koch, a former high school teammate, attended
Louisville the year before me. His dad, Scott, was our high school coach, and
he made sure I would throw every time someone was there to watch Matt. The deal
was sealed after I went down to Jupiter, Florida and threw down there for a
team from Chicago. Took my visit to Louisville and knew that’s where I wanted
to call home for the next few years.
Can you describe what
the draft process was like for you?: The draft process was simple for me. I
didn’t want to think about it at all because we had a chance to go to Omaha. So
the process was simple. I was so focused on the game I didn’t have time to
think about the draft.
What pitches do you
throw and which do you think you need to work on the most?: I throw a fastball,
slider and changeup. I think I just need to develop every pitch and build
confidence to be able to throw any pitch in any count. Just to develop my game
all around.
You had a great
professional debut in 2013. How can you top that?: The three months I
played professionally was as fun as it gets. Every outing I wanted to show
everyone what I was made of. The one thing I will never be is complacent. To be
called complacent could be the worst thing you could ever be called. I will
always be hungry for more no matter who I’m playing or what level I am at.
What was the most difficult thing to get used to
about being a professional player?: The toughest thing to get used to was
playing every day of the week. In college you have to be ready for three days
of the week. Professionally, it’s every day. Every single day you need to go
out and work your tail off to get yourself better without a coach holding your
hand.
Who has been your
most influential coach or manager?: There have been several coaches that
have influenced me throughout my career. I have been blessed with coaches that
have only wanted the best for me and the teams. It makes it easy to play for
guys like that.
What will you need to
do to be able to make the major leagues?: I think to make the league it’s
all about consistency and resilience. The guys that play in the majors are
exactly that. Each and every day they go out you know what you’re going to get
from them. And when they fail, they bounce back the next day and are hungry for
another opportunity.
You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew
Doing big things! Keep up the hard work, Cody. It's all paying off now.
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