Pirates hard-throwing prospect Cody Ponce eyes role

BRADENTON, Fla. — It seems Cody Ponce is a bit of a soothsayer.

Before leaving for spring training last year with the Milwaukee Brewers, the right-handed pitching prospect made a prediction to his father. Ponce said he would be traded before the 2019 season ended.

Ponce was right. The Pirates acquired Ponce on July 29 in a deal for righty Jordan Lyles.

“I got the phone call, and I was not shocked,” Ponce said.

Ponce believes the move could be beneficial to his career. He appeared to stagnate in the Brewers’ farm system, being moved to the bullpen from the starting rotation about midway through the 2018 season at Double-A Biloxi.

Regardless, Ponce bears no grudge against the organization that drafted him in the second round in 2015 from Cal Poly Pomona. He speaks glowingly of his five seasons in the Brewers’ farm system.

However, the 25-year-old hasn’t had much time to reflect on his past. The Pirates have kept him busy.

Ponce was assigned to Double-A Altoona following the trade and pitched three times before being promoted Triple-A Indianapolis. At Indy, he was converted back to the rotation and made four starts.

“I don’t like not moving. Keep me moving and I’m happy,” Ponce said. “It was a whirlwind for me, getting acclimated to a new organization, understanding who your teammates are now and not just trying to be a teammate to them but a friend and a brother, trying not to just create relationships on the field but off the field, too.”

Ponce didn’t have much of an offseason.

There were stints in the Arizona Fall League and with Team USA for the Premier 12 Tournament in Mexico and Japan that served as an Olympic qualifying event. He also took part in the Pirates’ winter promotional caravan in late January.

“Fall League was really fun,” Ponce said. “I had a blast. I got to keep playing more baseball, got to be a starter again. Keep progressing as a starter.”

And Ponce said the Premier 12 “was probably the most wonderful experience I’ve ever had playing baseball. I tell everybody at the end of my career, I will play one year in Japan. I’d love to play in Tokyo, in the (Tokyo) Dome. The amount of noise and the way everything sounds with 45,000-55,000 people in there was unbelievable. It literally shook your feet.”

The gregarious Ponce has no trouble making connections with people. In fact, he quickly became popular in the clubhouse when the Pirates began work outs earlier this month.

Ponce has had two one-inning stints so far in Grapefruit League play, allowing two runs, four hits and two walks while striking out three.

The biggest question about Ponce is on the field and where he will eventually fit.

Ponce believes he can be a starter in the major leagues and that is his preferred role. Many scouts, though, feel the 6-foot-5, 255-pounder is better suited to relief work where his high-90s fastball and slider play better, and he wouldn’t need to throw an inconsistent changeup.

Over his five seasons in professional baseball, Ponce has started 67 times and made 52 relief appearances. He was also Cal Poly’s closer as a freshman before becoming a starter.

Last year in the minor leagues, Ponce had a 3.48 ERA in 29 relief appearances and a 5.40 mark in five starts.

“Whatever the Pirates need from me to win games, I’ll do,” Ponce said. “I consider myself a multi-faceted pitcher.”