Kody Funderburk: All-American Slugger to Big-League Pitcher

Kody Funderburk was a four-year letterman at Queen Creek High School in Arizona. Yet, he received just one offer to play baseball in college, and that went away after a rough junior season. Central Arizona Community College, in Coolidge, Arizona, was one option. However, Funderburk stayed close to home and went to Mesa Community College. 

As a freshman, he went 8-4 in 15 games (13 starts) on the mound. At the plate, he hit .324 with four home runs. As a sophomore, he only made eight appearances (three starts) and pitched 12 2/3 innings. However, he hit .400/.504/.651, with eight homers and 55 RBI. He was named First Team All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American.  

Because of the success, he opted to go to Dallas Baptist University. He had played well during their sophomore showcase the year before. “It was really hard to pass up. They're known for their offensive production. I was getting recruited as a first baseman, so it was right up my alley. The field was beautiful. It was right in the middle of Dallas. Downtown was 20 minutes away. The campus was gorgeous, but at the same time, midweeks, we were playing Big 12 schools all the time. Even on weekends, we played teams like Clemson and Texas Tech. Also, I got to stay in a warm-weather state.”

He certainly didn’t slow down at the plate. In 63 games, he hit .304/.429/.584, with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, and 58 RBI. He also continued to pitch. He pitched in 15 games (14 starts) and went 1-3 with a 6.84 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. In 50 innings, he had 53 strikeouts, but he also walked 31 batters.

That slugging success and mound struggle led, unexpectedly, to this moment:

“With the 454th overall pick in the June 2018 MLB Draft, the Minnesota Twins use their 15th round pick to select Funderburk, Kody, left-handed pitcher.” 

So, Kody, why did the Twins draft you as a pitcher and not as a hitter? 

“During the draft process, some teams wanted me to hit. Some wanted me to pitch. Some said they may be willing to do both and eventually play into one. The Twins scout I talked to was Trevor Brown. I feel like I only talked to him twice: when I met him, and then the night before the draft, he called me. There was really no inclination of what the Twins wanted [me to do]. It was just on Day 3 when I heard my name called, and they said, 'Left-handed pitcher,' I knew I was a pitcher. I knew it was a possibility, but I thought with how my year went pitching-wise and how my year went hitting-wise and my past production as a hitter. I thought for sure I’d be drafted as a first baseman. I guess it’s a testament to the Twins' pitching development, taking a guy with horrible numbers like that and turning him into a big-leaguer.

“All my friends and family are like, “How the heck are you a pitcher?” 

"I didn’t pitch that well. Honestly, I feel like I was training so much on the hitting side of things. Whenever scheduling conflicted, I always erred on the side of hitting. So I never really felt like I got to practice (pitching), really, until I got into pro ball. But with Covid, I got a whole year of developing pitching-wise. I really feel like it was pure rest. I didn’t get to practice much.”

Asked what he saw when he scouted Dallas Baptist in 2018, Brown said, “Yes, Kody was a good college hitter and wasn’t as polished back then on the mound. But our group thought there was still a lot of untapped ceiling on the mound. It wasn’t a real comfortable at-bat for guys, and I just thought Kody needed innings and could be just scratching the surface of what he could be as a pitcher.”

As you would expect, Brown transferred the credit to two other places. “So much of what he is today is due to Kody and our player development. Kody’s worked as hard as anyone to get in the position he’s in and deserves so much of the credit.” 

Peter Larson joined the Twins organization after four seasons at Fordham University. In 2019, he was the minor-league rehab pitching coach. In 2020, he was supposed to be the pitching coach in Cedar Rapids (Low A), but then the season was canceled. In 2021, he was the Low-A Fort Myers pitching coach. In 2022, he was a pitching coach for Double-A Wichita and moved to Triple-A for the 2023 season. In other words, he has spent a lot of time working with Funderburk over the past two years. 

Larson and Funderburk are on the same page about what has helped the lefty succeed. Larson spoke of the work done during the lost Covid season. “Kody really took off after the Covid shutdown. Changed his workouts and body, and really came in ready to go for 2022.” 

Funderburk acknowledged, “I lost 30 to 40 pounds, which cleaned up my mechanics and helped me move a lot better. I threw pretty much a year of bullpens, and that really helped. It was kind of gritty. I was out at public parks by myself, throwing into a Jugs net. I feel like, along with all those other things, it taught me a work ethic and a discipline that I learned by myself.”

“He really turned a corner middle-to-late in the 2022 season and hasn’t looked back," Larson added. "I think Kody knows himself at a really high level currently. He understands his strengths and weaknesses and knows when and where to use his pitches.” 

Funderburk mentioned it in the interview, but Larson also spoke to some pitch suggestions they worked on together. “His pitch mix changed throughout 2022. We suggested adding a sinker to have something hard running arm-side. We also wanted to add bigger movement to his slider. This gave him a new look and when executed, tough on both hitters but specifically left-handed hitters. In 2023, he continued to fine-tune that same mix with the main goal of attacking the strike zone more consistently.” 

Scouts, minor-league coaches, and player-development personnel don’t get the credit they so often deserve. For them, the “glory” comes when a player with whom they’ve worked develops and gets a chance in the big leagues.

Larson noted, “It’s a blast to see anyone achieve their goals of making it to the big leagues. But seeing a guy like Kody put in the work and push through was really special. There might have been points in his career where he thought the big leagues seemed so far away, but his buy-in on training and trusting the process helped make his dream come true.

For one final thought, let’s get back to Kody Funderburk, Hitter. Hey Kody, in your heart of hearts, do you believe that you could hit?

“In the big leagues? I don’t know—maybe even a Low-A game. But even in Low A, you have guys [who] throw 100 with wipe-out stuff. As much as I want to say, ‘Yes, I can still hit,’ the stuff in the big leagues and young guys in the minor leagues, it’s pretty ridiculous what guys can learn. It’s no wonder it's so hard to hit, and I’m thankful I’m on the other end of it and making guys feel that way.”

Indeed, it is fair to ask what the Twins saw in Funderburk on the mound when he was so dominant at the plate. You can do that. And then you and I need to step back and say, Hey, the Twins were right. Trevor Brown saw uncomfortable at-bats and maybe a guy who just needed innings. Peter Larson, Cibney Bello, and several other pitching coaches and coordinators deserve credit for working with Funderburk and making him a big-leaguer.

The ultimate credit belongs to Kody Funderburk himself. He may have had questions, but he went to work and made it happen. And he saw the fruits of all that work become worthwhile when he made his big-league debut in 2023. And, with that work ethic, the goal will now be to stick in the big leagues and get a lot of batters out for years to come. 

One final thing... check out this YouTube video... "Fundy" figured it out first!