It’s been a wild ride for former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Cody Ponce, who could be returning to the Major Leagues soon.
A second-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015, Ponce debuted with the Pirates in 2020. He pitched well during the pandemic-shortened season, posting a 3.18 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 17 innings.
Ponce regressed the following year, however, going 0-6 with a 7.04 ERA in 38 1/3 innings. He has not pitched in the Major Leagues since.
After spending three seasons in Japan from 2022 to 2024, he joined the KBO in 2025 and completely transformed himself. He remade his body, added three mph to his fastball and learned a splitter, greatly improving his arsenal.
The work paid off, as Ponce was utterly dominant last season. In 29 starts, he went 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 180 2/3 innings.
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The 31-year-old right-hander is now ready to return to the Major Leagues, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan predicts that he’s “going to land the largest deal for a KBO-to-MLB jump.”
“His stuff will play in a rotation — perhaps in San Francisco, where he can join his brother-in-law, 49ers tight end George Kittle,” Passan adds.
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Ponce’s a California native, so the Giants could be a good fit for him. It will be interesting to see where he ends up this season and which team will take a chance on him to see if his stuff translates to the Majors.
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