JUPITER, Fla. — By the end of his first week at High-A Palm Beach last year, Kodi Whitley was gone, promoted, shipped swiftly to Class AA Springfield, where he got to find his footing for two months and then, before the Texas League became too familiar, he was on the go again, headed for Class AAA Memphis.
He had 16 games there, collected a couple of saves for the Redbirds, and when their season ended, he didn’t. Stuff back in a bag. Whitley back on a plane.
All of those miles traveled in 2019 – through three different levels, four different leagues, and dozens of different bullpens – has Whitley inching closer the destination the Cardinals expect from him this year: A major-league debut.