It’s understandable that Cody Bolton fell off a few radars in the past couple of years.
The 23-year-old right-hander, like every other minor league player, sat out in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, instead stationed at the Pirates’ alternate site for that summer. Then, just before the 2021 season began, he tore his meniscus shagging fly balls, relegated to life recovering in Bradenton, Fla., at the Pirates’ spring training facility.
Over that time, he and a few other recovering minor leaguers spent their days rehabbing, then hanging out, going to the beach, doing anything, really, to keep their minds off the fact that they weren’t playing baseball again.
Now, Bolton, at one-time a top-10 prospect in the Pirates’ system, is back on the mound in earnest. Through 39 1/3 innings of work with Class AAA Indianapolis this season, he has a 2.97 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .194 against him. It’s life back to normal after a couple of years when life was decidedly abnormal for Bolton.
“The first time I played catch, I was a little cautious, just because I didn’t want to overdo something and then tear my knee again, but after the first time, everything felt back to normal,” Bolton said. “Now it feels a lot stronger than ever.”
It helps that Bolton has made some adjustments this season. Through his first seven outings, things weren’t so smooth, as he allowed two earned runs or more in four of them, despite pitching fewer than four innings each time. Part of that was a desire to work Bolton back slowly after his injury, building up endurance.
The other part, Bolton discovered, was a few of his five pitches were blending into one another. His cutter was acting like his four-seam fastball, and his two-seamer looked like his changeup with only one or two miles-per-hour difference between the velocity.
So, Indianapolis pitching coach Dan Meyer proposed a fix: Ditch the cutter and two-seamer for now, and just ride with a four-seam, slider, changeup arsenal. After all, Bolton feels his changeup has been outlandishly good this season, describing its break as being similar to a left-hander’s slider.
“The changeup has a stupid amount of movement on it right now,” Bolton said. “But I mean, Meyer was like, ‘Why don’t we try and simplify and see how it works? Instead of focusing on five different pitches, let’s focus on three and get your mechanics on point.’ ”
Bolton’s success this season is made more impressive in that he, along with many others in the Pirates’ system, has bounced between starting and relieving roles this season. On Wednesday, he tossed three scoreless innings after entering in the second inning, preempted by an opener.
In a moment of honesty, Bolton says he would rather start every game. Early in the season, he said it was a struggle to come out of the bullpen. It messed with his routine and threw him off a bit. If Wednesday is any indication, he’s figured that part out.
That could be beneficial for Bolton in the near future, too. The Pirates have been in need of reliable pitching really all season, and it would be a surprise if that changed any time soon. Someone like Bolton, with good stuff who can pitch in whatever role the Pirates need, could be valuable.
Then again, Bolton is trying his absolute hardest to avoid thinking about that. Especially this season, when the Pirates have been sustained by a steady stream of prospects, it can be easy to look up at the big-league roster and wonder when it will be time to join it.
Bolton has done his best to stay away from that entirely. In his words, the goal is to stay humble and understand this is supposed to be a game. Plus, Bolton already has a mental picture for how he wants his eventual call-up to go.
“I would rather it be a shock to me,” Bolton said. “I don’t know. I’ve always pictured getting the phone call and told, ‘Alright, you’re going up. You’re next.’
“My main drive is just getting to the big leagues. It’s something that I’ve always wanted since I was a little kid.”
That dream hasn’t been derailed by Bolton’s injuries. If anything, he’s reintroduced himself as a viable big-league option with a strong start to the 2022 campaign.
TOP 10 REPORT (Rankings via MLB Pipeline)
Numbers through Wednesday’s games
1. Nick Gonzales, 2B, Class AA Altoona: Gonzales is still expected to return in the near future, but it hasn’t happened yet. He’s remained on the shelf since suffering a heel contusion on May 31.
2. Henry Davis, C, Class AA Altoona: Davis is back where he was meant to be, playing for the Curve again. He’s played in just three games since returning from injury, and has gone 1-for-10 in that time, but it’s certainly better to see him back in a starting lineup again.
3. Oneil Cruz, SS, Class AAA Indianapolis: The slash line has bumped up to .232/.341/.429 for Cruz this season, and a call-up may be imminent. So much has been written on the subject by now, so you know the drill, but Cruz has been great again at the plate for the better part of two months now. Hard to imagine what else there is to prove in the minors.
4. Quinn Priester, RHP, Class AA Altoona: Priester also rejoined Altoona on Thursday. His rehab probably didn’t go exactly as planned, as his last outing with High-A Greensboro saw Priester allow five earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. So maybe there will be some rest, but better to knock that out in Altoona than tool around on the injured list.
5. Liover Peguero, SS, Class AA Altoona: Peguero had another solid week, with hits in seven of his last eight games and two multi-hit efforts in that span. He homered again Saturday, part of a 3-for-5 game. He’s slashing .293/.316/.473 this season, arguably Altoona’s best hitter in 2022.
6. Roansy Contreras, RHP, Pirates: Won’t be long now until Contreras graduates from this list entirely. He had his worst start of the season Wednesday, allowing three earned in 4 1/3 innings, but he still sits with a 3.06 ERA, pretty good for a rookie campaign at this point.
7. Endy Rodriguez, C/OF, High-A Greensboro: Homered again Wednesday, his first in 13 games. That’s a good sign. Also has hits in four straight games, a good sign for those hoping to see more power from Rodriguez this season.
8. Anthony Solometo, LHP, Low-A Bradenton: Over three starts, opponents are hitting .154 against him, and Solometo has allowed only one earned run in 11 innings. Hard to imagine a better start for the 19-year-old, whose funky mechanics could conceivably allow him to move up rather quickly through the system.
9. Bubba Chandler, RHP/SS, FCL Pirates: Chandler’s debut in the Florida Complex League included a 2-for-4 day with a homer to center. His progress will be monitored closely, as the former two-way player tries to make hay in professional ball.
10. Matt Fraizer, OF, Class AA Altoona: Fraizer continues to chip away. He has hits in three straight, bumping his average to .211 on the season. He’s just 8-for-38 in June so far, but a .253 month of May with a .736 OPS was an encouraging sign. Obviously, more good weeks and months will be needed.
Mike Persak: mpersak@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDPersak
First Published: June 17, 2022, 10:00 a.m.