Cody Poteet Strives To Make Quick Work Of Batters

A replica of righthander Cody Poteet in the midst of his leg kick during his delivery sat on top of his wedding cake.

He and Madeline, a former college basketball player, will celebrate their third wedding anniversary in August.

They met during a geography class at UCLA, and they were married less than two years later, right there on campus at the iconic Janss steps terrace at sunset.

“It’s been amazing,” Poteet said of his marriage to Madeline, who travels with him and also coordinates, remotely, sales for a medical-care company. “It gives me the freedom to pursue baseball because I already have the love of my life.

“She supports me to the ends of the earth and has been a huge boost for my career.”

That career is going well.

A native of San Diego, Poteet first saw what baseball could do for his life when he made the national 14U team and traveled to Guatemala to compete.

At UCLA, Poteet made 39 starts and 34 relief appearances. He experienced a breakout junior year in 2015, going 7-1, 2.45 while working frequently in relief. The Marlins drafted him that year in the fourth round and signed him for the slot bonus of $488,000.

Poteet advanced to high Class A Jupiter this season, where the 22-year-old recorded a 2.53 ERA through 42.2 innings.

Poteet said his two-seam fastball with sinking action has been his focus this season, though he also throws a slider, curveball and changeup.

“I have the mentality of trying to get the at-bat finished in three pitches or less,” said Poteet, who is 6-foot-1 and generally throws his four-seam fastball in the range of 88-92 mph. “I’m still working on my changeup so I can be a complete pitcher.

“But I want to be efficient. I’m not scared of contact.”

— Walter Villa is a writer based in Miami