Kody Kirkland Stats & Scouting Report

AB	2914
AVG	.237
OBP	.311
SLG	.414
HR	85

Full name Kody Ray Kirkland
Born 06/09/1983 in Pocatello, ID
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School College Of Southern Idaho
Drafted in the 30th round (894th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Scouts are divided on Kirkland. They either love his athleticism or doubt whether he'll ever be able to refine his impressive tools to become a major league regular. Acquired in the trade that sent Randall Simon to the Pirates in November 2002, Kirkland has raw power, a strong arm and a high ceiling. But he strikes out too much and has hit just .239 in full-season leagues. His swing has holes, but its length allows him to pulverize breaking pitches low in the zone. He chases pitches and is particularly susceptible to high, hard stuff. Kirkland runs well for his size. Defensively, he has the arm for third base and shows good range at times. However, his hands are somewhat stiff and he's prone to errors. Kirkland is facing a critical season in 2007. He'll return to Double-A, and if he's truly a legitimate prospect, he should crush pitchers on his second tour of the Eastern League.
Kirkland signed with Pittsburgh as a draft-and-follow out of the College of Southern Idaho and remains involved with the program, teaching hitting there in offseason camps. In a regrettable deal for the Pirates, they sent him and pitchers Roberto Novoa and Adrian Burnside to the Tigers for Randall Simon in November 2002. Kirkland was part of the talented and successful Lakeland club in 2005, though he generally batted sixth or seventh on a team that had several veteran sluggers in the lineup. His season was a vast improvement over his struggles in low Class A the year before. Detroit likes Kirkland's tools and work ethic, and can't quite put its finger on why he hasn't put it all together. He has solid-average raw power and a strong throwing arm suited for third base. He lacks consistency, however, in all phases of the game. He never has hit for average, and while his plate discipline improved last year, it still has a ways to go. His hands at third are a bit stiff despite his above-average athleticism. Kirkland made a step in translating his solid tools into consistent performance, capped by a .293 performance as a taxi-squad player in the Arizona Fall League. Now he's ready for Double-A.
The Tigers thought Kirkland was ready for low Class A in 2003, but with 2002 first-rounder Scott Moore ahead of him, he had to settle for tearing up the New York-Penn League. But even with another year under his belt, Kirkland proved overmatched in full-season ball in 2004. He struggled to make contact and lost all semblance of his strike zone, whiffing nearly 10 times for every walk. Kirkland has a compact stroke and had shown an ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field, but his approach needs a serious overhaul. Detroit also has become concerned about what his 2004 performance might have done to Kirkland's confidence because he gets down on himself too easily. An underrated athlete, he moves well at third base and has a strong arm. He still needs to improve the accuracy of his throws after topping Midwest League third basemen with 29 errors. Despite his struggles, he'll move up to high Class A this year.
The Tigers had no intention of going to arbitration with Randall Simon after the 2002 season, so they traded him to the Pirates for three players, most notably Kirkland. Because Kirkland signed in late May 2002, he couldn't switch organizations until a year later, so he began last season in extended spring training. Kirkland is an impressive hitter with a compact stroke and projectable power. He drives balls to all fields and has a decent idea of the strike zone. Defensively, he has average range and arm strength to go with good hands. He's a smart player who likes to compete. While Kirkland has topped .300 in each of his two pro seasons, he'll have to make more consistent contact to do well against more advanced pitchers. The accuracy of his throws varies, the main reason behind his 15 errors in 65 games last summer. Kirkland would have started 2003 in low Class A if not for the trade. He'll probably head there rather than high Class A this year because 2002 first-rounder Scott Moore is one level ahead of him.

Minor League Top Prospects

The Pirates sent Kirkland to the Tigers to complete an offseason trade for first baseman Randall Simon. Simon didn't last a year in Pittsburgh, while Kirkland will push 2002 first-rounder Scott Moore to be Detroit's third baseman of the future. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Kirkland is a tremendous athlete with projectable power. He shows the ability to drive pitches to the right-center-field gap. He has good actions and solid arm strength at third base. He also has plus speed for a third baseman. "He profiles very well as a third baseman," Jamestown manager Benny Castillo said. "He shows a lot of potential. He's the real deal."