Cody Satterwhite, an ultra-effective relief pitcher during a stint in Sioux City back in 2013, has the type of resume worth following now that he has returned from a stint in Japan and has signed a Triple-A contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound righthander will turn 30 later this month, which should be prime time for a strikeout oriented pitcher who has been hovering near the major leagues for the last two seasons.
Satterwhite rose steadily in the New York Mets farm system after they purchased his contract out of the American Association in late June of the ’13 season, capped by relieving 57 times at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2015 (2-0, 2 saves, 4.38 and 71 strikeouts in 72 innings). Then he declared free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Angels and trimmed his earned run average by more than two and a half runs every nine innings (1.80) at Salt Lake City early last season which gave the onetime University of Mississippi hurler the Japanese opportunity the second half of the season. He had a 2.57 ERA in 20 bullpen outings with the Hanshin Tigers, and obviously impressed the Orioles.
Although on the Norfolk roster, he seems likely to get some looks from the parent Orioles in spring training just as he did for the Mets and Angels, making his time in Sioux City (2-1, 1 save, 0.98) highly rewarded.
Broussard Moves to Reds
Geoff Broussard, whose career included the entire 2014 season in Sioux City (8-1, 2 saves, 3.26), also has joined a new organization. With time on his side since he is only 26, he will attempt to bounce back from a season where his earned run average climbed to 6.50 while dividing time between the Los Angeles Angels’ top two minor league teams while wearing a Double-A uniform in the Cincinnati system.
Fastball Praise
Drew Muren is only a month or so away from starting his second season in the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system and his second year since converting from centerfield to the pitcher’s mound. The 28-year-old does not know whether this is the year his powerful arm (96-98 mph) allows him to debut in the major leagues, but he makes no doubt how he feels about three years ago when he was in Gary and Sioux Falls and two years ago in Fargo-Moorhead.
“Yeah, my time spent in Indy ball was fantastic,” he told USA Today during a recent interview. “It’s an interesting business and the fact that Indy ball teams can survive by paying these contracts themselves, which are much much larger than salaries in MiLB (the affiliated minors), makes you really question how MLB has set up paying MiLB (players). I’ve played in many affiliated leagues and attendance in all them has been roughly the same, so how players aren’t getting paid from those teams…is a bit odd. But that’s a total different argument for a completely different day.
“Indy ball was a blast. You always hear when you’re in affiliated ball that these guys that get released go play Indy ball and rave about it. Well, they were right…the relationship between the front office and players was way better than (in) affiliated.”
Previously the chief spokesman for Baseball Commissioners Bowie Kuhn and Peter Ueberroth, Bob Wirz has been writing extensively about Independent Baseball since 2003. He is a frequent contributor to this site, has a blog, www.IndyBaseballChatter.com, and his book, “The Passion of Baseball”, was introduced in October.
