"Drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, Ponce never quite figured out how to pitch at a big league level in his first stint in North America. After pitching parts of five seasons in the minor leagues, Ponce made his big league debut in 2020 with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a 26-year-old. That season saw him post a 3.18 ERA and 6.66 FIP in 17 innings pitched."
"Everything changed when he joined the Korean Baseball Organization's Hanwha Eagles, as Ponce's velocity ticked up and he added a nasty kick-changeup. In 180.2 innings pitched in Korea, Ponce posted a 1.89 ERA and 2.15 FIP in 180.2 innings pitched. Since his big league debut in 2020, Ponce never had a K% above 20.1% in MLB and Japan, but his K% jumped significantly in 2025, finishing with a 36.2 K%."
"Signing with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters for the 2022 and 2023 season, Ponce had a 3.35 ERA and 3.60 FIP in 83.1 innings pitched in his first season, and a 3.66 ERA and 2.91 FIP in 51.2 innings pitched in his second season, making just 24 starts in total. Ponce's third season in Japan came with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, authoring a 6.72 ERA and 3.13 FIP in 67 innings pitched. His K% never reached 20% in these three seasons."
Cody Ponce was drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and reached MLB in 2020 with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a 26-year-old. He posted a 3.18 ERA and 6.66 FIP in 17 innings in 2020 but struggled in 2021 as a bulk reliever, recording a 7.04 ERA in 38.1 innings. Ponce then pitched in Japan with mixed results before joining the KBO's Hanwha Eagles, where his velocity and a kick-changeup produced a 1.89 ERA, 2.15 FIP, and a 36.2% K% across 180.2 innings. Toronto signed him and his role is likely to be a starter but remains uncertain.
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