Guardians prospect Huff's roller-coaster journey makes a stop at home

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Fall League is, for many players, a proving ground, a chance to head west and showcase their skills in front of a whole new audience.

For Kody Huff, it’s a homecoming.

The Guardians prospect, once a standout at Scottsdale’s Horizon High School, got to return to his stomping grounds as he takes part of the premier prospect circuit. During Friday afternoon’s 10-9 Saguaros victory over the Scorpions at Surprise Stadium, Huff had the chance to play in front of his grandparents while delivering a three-hit effort and throwing out two runners on the basepaths.

Baseball has long been a family affair for the Huffs: Kody’s dad, Tim, spent two seasons in the Blue Jays system before embarking on a career as a scout and national crosschecker for multiple clubs; uncle Ken played for Single-A affiliates of the Twins and D-backs in 2002; uncle Kevin was a standout at the University of Arizona. The group all starred for Horizon, a program that has produced six Major Leaguers since the turn of the 21st century.

“I've been raised around baseball my whole life,” Huff said. “My dad's been in professional baseball for a long time, so I got to see it from a young age and kind of find my own love for the game as I was growing up.”

That love meant forgoing the start of his pro career after his high school tenure wrapped up. A 32nd-round pick of the Rays in 2019, Huff honored his commitment to Stanford -- but not before he took a significant detour, to Alaska of all places.

The Alaskan Summer League is a veritable baseball paradise, even if it involves a bit of culture shock. Joining the then-three-time reigning champion Mat-Su Miners, Huff was looking to use his time in the southern part of The Last Frontier to put himself on the Cardinal radar out of the chute.

“I had a great time -- it was awesome, a great experience,” Huff said. “It got me really ready for some adversity going in to try and win a spot in my freshman year at Stanford.”

Then the pandemic-shortened 2020 season struck. After a down year of production, Huff tore it up as a junior in 2022 and played his way into becoming a seventh-round pick of the Rockies amidst their college-heavy class. His first full season came with Single-A Fresno in ‘23, where he finished third in the California League in runners caught stealing (29) and graded out as an above-average pitch framer.

As is often the case across the Minor League landscape, someone is watching -- even if it’s not your own organization.

Less than a year ago, Huff was back in Palo Alto finishing his undergraduate degree. Then he got an unexpected call -- he was on the move to Cleveland in a one-for-one swap for right-handed pitcher Cal Quantrill. He went from studying engineering to learning a new pitching staff and organizational philosophy.

“I think it was a good move for me,” Huff said. “It's a new experience but an exciting one. I think it's exciting to go to a new place and meet some new people and kind of engage in some new philosophies and a way of doing things. I think I fit in really well here and I really enjoyed my first year with Cleveland.”

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The trade -- and subsequent Fall League assignment -- has meant that Huff can continue working out at the Guardians’ complex in Goodyear, Ariz., a boon for a backstop still getting used to the intricacies of his new organization. Huff spent all of the 2024 regular season at Double-A Akron, where he thwarted 33.3 percent of basestealers while also getting a brief look at first base (which he has also done during his time with Surprise).

In many ways, the Fall League has been an extra six-week crash course designed to put him on the path he one day hopes to make a habit of: staying home to prepare for the rigors of a big league season.

Arizona. Alaska. Northern California. Cape Cod. Akron.

It’s been a peripatetic journey for Huff. But mere miles from where his baseball journey began, he gets to put on display how far he’s come and where he still might go.