When
asked
if
the
longtime
baseball
adage,
"There's
no
crying
in
baseball,"
could
be
applied
today,
former
Baldwin
Wallace
University
star
pitcher
Danny
Cody
'19,
who
now
pitches
in
the
Houston
Astros
minor
league
system,
said,
"You'd
definitely
get
some
pushback."
While the Major League Baseball players and owners continue to try to negotiate a settlement that may bring baseball back to the masses, Cody, like other BW graduates now employed in MLB, are working to make ends meet as they negotiate their way through their upended professional baseball careers.
Cody is back home in Brecksville, Ohio, awaiting recall from the Astros after spending one week in spring training in West Palm Beach, Florida, when the outbreak of the coronavirus put the brakes on the season.
"It was tough, I won't kid you, to leave spring training and come back home," said Cody, who was a 17th-round draft pick after graduating from BW with a degree in finance. "I was excited to get started and then the plug gets pulled. But I'll be ready to go again when it all starts again. I'm just remaining positive."
While
Cody
has
been
back
in
Northeast
Ohio,
he
has
stayed
close
to
the
Astros
organization
through
Zoom
online
meetings,
phone
conversations
with
his
pitching
coordinator
and
text
messages
from
his
trainer.
His
daily
routine
includes
physical
conditioning,
throwing
and
simulated
pitching
drills.
"There were a few anxious moments when the Astros first announced they were going to cut up to 60 players in the organization," said Cody. "I am confident in my abilities but was still extremely nervous during the process.
"When the first cuts were made, I was relieved," continued Cody. "The final 20 cuts were just recently made, and I was assured that I will be retained next season. So, whether we return this season or not, I know I have a place in the Astros organization going forward."
The thing that has excited Cody the most since returning home, in addition to being near his family and girlfriend, is working and coaching with the Medina-based Mike Adams Fitness Baseball Team Gators U11-16 groups.
"In addition to getting in my daily workouts, I coach 11- to 16-year-old kids, and that definitely has kept me busy," said Cody. "Two weekends ago, combined, our teams played nine games during the weekend, four on Saturday and five on Sunday. That is a lot of baseball in two days!"
During
his
first
season
of
minor
league
baseball,
Cody
compiled
a
0-1
record
with
a
3.91
earned
run
average,
covering
23
innings
pitched
with
21
strikeouts
and
a
save.
In
his
time
at
BW,
the
Division
III
All-American
compiled
a
19-8
record
with
a
2.93
earned
run
average
and
struck
out
262
batters
in
227
innings.
For more on the many BW grads who work on the field and in the front offices of Major League Baseball, see the original, unedited story.
