Kody Rock, a 23-year-old pitcher from Canora, has been part of the Yorkton Cardinals team for several seasons. Now, he’s trading in the red and blue Cardinals uniform for navy, gold and white as he takes his baseball career to the next level.
Rock recently signed with the AZL Brewers - a minor-league team of the Arizona League, and the rookie affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Rock told Yorkton This Week that talks of signing with the team began last summer. He caught the eye of a scout, who then started attending some of his college games. Rock played at Mayville State University in North Dakota.
The scout liked what Rock had to offer.
“About half an hour after the draft ended this year, I got a call from the Brewers scouts saying that they wanted me,” Rock said.
While it wasn’t shocking to Rock because of the previous conversations he’d been having with Brewers scouts, he said it was really exciting for him to get that call.
“I guess you never know what’s going to happen – nothing like that is ever a sure thing,” he explained. “It was great to hear that I could keep playing.”
Since he’s a Canadian citizen, it took a few days to get paperwork sorted out for him to play in the American league. But once it was set, Rock said he was in Phoenix just two days later.
Bryan Biancalana, the Yorkton Cardinals head coach, said it was no surprise to him that one of his star pitchers was continuing his baseball career.
“He’s an absolute stud. He looks the part, he acts the part and pitches the part,” Biancalana said about Rock. “We’re rooting for him. It’s good to see him have success – it’s good for the organization, the community, and everybody.”
Since the move, Rock has picked up one win with the AZL Brewers. The team holds a 10-3 record, and sits in first place in the central division of the league.
