Pirates Reliever Cody Bolton Looking to Make a Push (+)
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a potential dark horse candidate in the bullpen for 2023, and it’s a name people may have forgotten in Cody Bolton.
Bolton was originally drafted by the Pirates in the sixth round back in 2017 out of Tracy high school in California.
Bolton quickly rose the ranks, got to Double-A in 2019, and posted a 3.54 ERA between High-A and Double-A in 101.1 innings pitched.
Thanks to COVID during the 2020 season, Bolton and the rest of the minor leaguers were left at home and forced to stay in shape any way they could.
Then in 2021, Bolton suffered a major setback with a right meniscus tear, sidelining him for the rest of the ’21 season.
Health then became a big issue with Bolton as the 2022 season got going, but other than a brush with COVID, Bolton seemed to have a rather healthy season.
Bolton posted a 3.09 ERA in 75.2 innings pitched.
Now that we are in spring training for the 2023 season, Bolton was yet again invited to big league camp, and thus far, he has been impressive.
Bolton has appeared in five games, pitched six innings, struck out nine, walked none, and gave up just two earned runs.
During spring training, Bolton has showcased a four-seam, changeup, sweeper, and sinker. His four-seam is sitting right around 94 mph.
Thankfully, the California native took the time to talk with us at Pittsburgh Baseball Now, and one of the more pertinent questions dealt with Bolton’s health.
“Health-wise, I’m feeling great,” said Bolton. “I’m feeling a lot better than I did last year. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Just glad I’m healthy.”
Any good pitcher has got to be one with their arsenal. They have to know what to use, how to use it, and be confident when they use it. Exactly how does Bolton feel about his arsenal and its development?
“As of now, my arsenal is a four-seam, changeup, and slider. Those pitches that are around 90-92 mph that look like a sinker are my changeups. I’m feeling pretty confident going with the three pitches, and they are coming out really well.”
On quite a few occasions, Bolton has showcased fairly high spin rates on his changeup. For example, there was one instance on March 17 against the Tampa Bay Rays where he had a spin rate of 2047 rpm. The average changeup is around 1750 rpm.
Another good sign for Bolton is he’s getting a decent amount of called strikes and whiffs with his four-seam.
Using the Rays game as another example, Bolton got six called strikes and one whiff out of the 14 four-seamers he threw that game.
I think one of the bigger developments in Bolton’s career for the long haul will be his recent transition into the bullpen.
It was revealed earlier this spring that the Pirates were moving the righty to the bullpen for the ’23 season. Not only should this help him health-wise, but it could also be his ticket into the majors.
Could this move come as a surprise to Bolton, though?
“Last year, I did around 15 starts and 15 games out of the pen,” said Bolton. “The move to the bullpen was of no surprise to me. Before I came down to spring this year, they told me they wanted me to be a one to two-inning guy, and I’m perfectly fine with it. I’ll also be able to have more appearances throughout the week”
What exactly could this move to the bullpen do to Bolton’s confidence and how he pitches?
“Last year, going back between starting and relieving was a little difficult because it changes your mindset. This year, knowing that I’ll only be that one or two-inning guy, I’ll be able to go balls to the walls and put a little more something on the ball every throw, so I’m sure there will be a velo jump.”
There still has been no official word on where Bolton will start the year, or at least that’s what I’ve been told, but Bolton said he’s definitely making a push to break camp and head north.
This year kind of has the feel of a “make or break,” year for Bolton and I know it’s spring training, but the Pirates need all the help they can get out of the bullpen and Bolton may be one of those pieces that could certainly aid them in the near future.