Cody Kukuk has Kansas baseball offer in hand, but MLB Draft could beckon

Pitching before a throng of Major League baseball scouts last Wednesday, Lawrence Free State (Kan.) pitcher Cody Kukuk fanned 13 batters while battling for a Kansas Class 6A regional championship against Leavenworth.

In between the baker's dozen of strikeouts, the lefthanded powerhouse stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the third inning and cranked a 3-2 pitch over the fence in right field, tying the score at 3 while also displaying the eye-popping traits that caught the attention of Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price.

"He has great upside," the KU skipper said. "Cody has power to both gaps. He has a great body and a loose arm – a quick arm. He has great projectability. Sometimes he does struggle with his command. He has to be able to locate his fastball. If he can do that, he has a chance to be a special guy."

Although Kukuk and the Firebirds lost their midweek battle with the 13-9 Pioneers by a 5-3 score, the four-year starter's baseball career is far from over. Playing in a program that has produced plenty of past and present Jayhawks, Kukuk may be the best of the group.

Projected as a third-round draft pick by some in June's Major League Baseball first-year player draft, Kukuk will have to decide soon whether he's going to pursue a professional baseball career right out of high school or play collegiately for the University of Kansas.

At the moment the McLouth, Kan., resident appears to be leaning toward playing for Price.

"I haven't thought that much about the draft, yet," Kukuk said before Wednesday's loss. "It's been in the back of my mind. But I've been focusing on finishing the season strong. I really don't want to go into the draft on a bitter note."

Kukuk, whose fastball regularly reaches 90-plus mph, likes to go after opposing hitters with a four-seam and a two-seam fastball that he described as having a lot of dive to it. Throw in his secondary pitches – a 72-mph changeup and a 79-mph slider – and he is a tough at bat for any hitter.

Although he throws from the left side of the mound himself, Kukuk prefers to avoid stepping up to the plate against a lefty.

"It definitely bothers hitters to go up against left-handers," Kukuk said. "You don't really see lefties very often and they generally have more movement in their pitches."

With the 2010 first-team All-State pitcher throwing the ball for him over the course of the past four seasons, Firebird baseball coach Mike Hill pointed out just how rare of a commodity Kukuk has been for the Sunflower League power.

"There is no question he is a power pitcher," Hill said. "If he's in the upper 80s, he's considered a power guy. The guys that he faces at the high school level aren't used to seeing 93-94 mph fastballs. Heck, there aren't that many lefties with that kind of velocity throwing at the college level."

After getting an up-close look at Kukuk throughout his prep career, Price expects the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Firebird to not only earn playing time down the road for the Big 12 power, but to contribute immediately as a Jayhawk.

"His breaking ball is better and that's key if he wants to pitch not only in college but ultimately in the pros," Price said. "Cody is just a really good athlete. We expect him to be an impact player as a freshman, without question."

Kukuk said he wasn't sure what to expect when he took the field for Hill during his inaugural prep season. Regardless, Kukuk played his way onto the Firebird varsity squad. Three years later, Kukuk has learned to appreciate the toughness with which Hill goes about his business.

"He doesn't put up with any bull, I can tell you that," Kukuk said of Hill. "But his competitive edge has helped me out a lot. The team feeds off of it. He's mentally locked in all of the time."

Kukuk prefers to work at a brisk pace from the mound, keeping opposing batters off balance and often swinging momentum in the direction of the Firebirds. Kukuk isn't necessarily set on controlling the game — he just wants to play a key role in securing a win for his team.

"If you strike out the side that's a quick inning and it gives your team a better shot at winning the game," he said. "It kills momentum. I like to get ahead of people and throw strikes. This year I've done a better job of not being a thrower, but a pitcher. Pitching is more than just throwing as hard as you can.

"I love hitting and pitching and being better than the other team. That's what has driven me to be the best."

Entering last Wednesday's unexpected loss to the Pioneers, Kukuk had produced a 21-1 career record with 233 strikeouts in 140 innings of work from the mound. Kukuk was hitting .424 for his career entering that regional championship loss.

The 2010 Sunflower League Player of the Year contributed 26 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs and 86 RBIs to that point in his Firebird career. As a sophomore, Kukuk earned second team all-state honors as a first baseman by the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches. A year ago, he was listed on the first team as a pitcher.

As a senior Kukuk, a likely first team all-state selection once again in 2011, was hitting .492 entering the loss to the Pioneers, who reached the Kansas state baseball tournament for the first time since 1999. The senior Firebird knocked in 20 RBIs on the year, while connecting on 30 hits in 61 official at bats for Free State.

Kukuk put together a 7-1 mark from the mound in 2011 and struck out 103 batters in about 54 innings, while putting together an earned run average that barely reached 3.00.