Roederer hits for the cycle for South Bend
Try as he might, Cole Roederer could not gain traction through the first two-plus months of the season. And while one game might not turn things around, Tuesday night would be the one he points to if he does.The fifth-ranked Cubs prospect tripled in the ninth inning to complete the
Try as he might, Cole Roederer could not gain traction through the first two-plus months of the season. And while one game might not turn things around, Tuesday night would be the one he points to if he does.
The fifth-ranked Cubs prospect tripled in the ninth inning to complete the cycle -- and his first career five-hit game -- as Class A South Bend rolled past Fort Wayne, 10-4, at Parkview Field.
Needing a triple to complete the first cycle since the club began its affiliation with Chicago in 2015, Roederer fell behind in his final at-bat, 0-2. He launched the next pitch from right-hander Austin Smith to the left-field fence and slid into third to complete the franchise's first cycle since Fidel Pena recorded one on July 9, 2013. The club was known as the SilverHawks at the time as an affiliate of the D-backs.
Roederer said he wasn't necessarily trying to hit a triple, but when the ball began to bounce around in the outfield, he made up his mind to go for it.
"I wasn't really going for the cycle as much as one more good at-bat -- I wanted one more [hit] to get to 5-for-5," he said. "But I was able to get some lucky bounces out there and I ended up getting both, the hit and triple. When I came around second, I knew I had a shot and figured it was worth the risk. I was either going to get the cycle or get thrown out trying."
Gameday box score
Selected 77th overall in last year's Draft, the 19-year-old made his professional debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League, where he batted .275/.354/.465 with 13 extra-base hits, 24 RBIs and 30 runs scored in 36 games. Promoted to the Midwest League to begin this season, that success had eluded Roederer through April and May, when he hit .216.
The results have been better this month, which he punctuated with his perfect night against the TinCaps.
"I've had to deal with a lot of failure so far this season," Roederer said. "There are a lot of extra things you just need to push to the side and move forward. Handling that adversity and failure has been tough, but it's a learning experience and something I hope helps me down the line."
Roederer lined an RBI double to right and scored in the Cubs' four-run opening frame, then singled to right in the third. He laced his second double of the game to right in the fifth and extended South Bend's lead to 8-0 with a two-run homer to right-center field in the seventh. His run-scoring triple in the ninth completed the 12th cycle in the Minors this season and the third in the Midwest League.
"I blew through the stop sign," Roederer said. "[Third base coach and manager Buddy Bailey] was holding me up ... I don't think he realized I was a triple shy. But I took off anyway and I think he figured it out because he was jumping around, too, as I headed in to third. All my teammates were yelling and cheering for me. Looking at them that excited for me was something I'll never forget."
The California native drove in a career-high four runs and scored three times in his third straight multi-hit effort. He's 10-for-14 with seven extra-base hits, six RBIs and five runs scored in that span after scuffling through an 0-for-16 stretch. Roederer is batting .247/.309/.409 through 49 games.
"These past few games have really helped mentally," he said. "I've been grinding in the cage with [hitting coach] Paul McAnulty and trying to find that confidence. The last few days I've been able to dial it in and do what I'm capable of. The whole season has been a real eye-opener for me. I just need to keep having good at-bats and good games and I believe everything will go the way I want it to."
![](https://milb.bamcontent.com/assets/images/2/7/0/221450270/cuts/milb_300_4_patq8fnk_timudjpz.jpg)
Delvin Zinn recorded his second five-hit game of the season for South Bend, while No. 22 Cubs prospect Christopher Morel fell a homer shy of the cycle on a 4-for-5 night. The trio combined for 14 of South Bend's 18 hits.
Riley Thompson (4-3) was overshadowed by his club's offensive outburst but turned in another strong start. The 27th-ranked prospect allowed one hit and one walk while striking out five over five scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 2.29, which ranks third in the league.
Michael Curry homered and drove in two runs for Fort Wayne. Starter Gabe Mosser (4-4) was charged with six runs -- five earned -- on 11 hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Michael Avallone is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @MavalloneMiLB.
MiLB podcast breaks down Spring Training storylines
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Leaf Peepers? Thunder Chickens?! Coming to the Minors this year
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Dodgers greats Newcombe and Campanella made history as Minors teammates
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
15 prospects primed for a bounceback season from injury
A lot of players will be getting a fresh start heading into the 2025 season. Prospects who missed significant time due to injury have had upwards of six months between regular-season games to return to health. Now they'll be looking to re-establish their value and maybe even reach new heights.
Check out the newest Minor League team logos for 2025
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Here are 18 prospects who also starred on the gridiron
The two-time defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs are set to meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, and plenty of baseball prospects will be keeping a close eye. After all, many current Minor Leaguers played football at a high level before committing fully to the diamond. No, there aren't any
Did you know the Superdome was once home to a Minor League team?
On Sunday, one of the world’s most-watched sporting events will take place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Believe it or not, decades before Super Bowl LIX came to town, the same building was home to a Minor League Baseball team for one season. The 1977 Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans
How a Black pitcher's brief PCL stint in 1916 generated a historic card
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2010. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
The Show Before the Show: Episode 489
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minors legend Jones still holds batting record
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2008. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers. Grover "Deacon" Jones spent more than a half-century in baseball, serving the game at almost every level and in
Hooks have a new look -- and more -- on the line for 20th season
In advance of a milestone season at Whataburger Field, the Corpus Christi Hooks are making a change. The Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate unveiled new logos and uniforms on Friday evening, marking the first time they have significantly altered their look since debuting in 2005. According to Hooks general manager Brady
Here's how Jackie Robinson fueled Montreal to a Minor League title in 1946
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
They're due! MiLB's longest active title droughts
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
These players could earn teams extra Draft picks in 2025
Since the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) was implemented under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, four players have earned their clubs extra Draft picks. The PPI rewards teams for promoting their best prospects to the big leagues at the start of the season, enabling them to earn a Draft pick if
Each team's best non-Top 100 prospect
There just isn't enough room to fit all the worthy talents on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. We unveiled our latest rankings last Friday, and now we're going to spotlight the best prospect in each farm system who couldn't quite make the cut. We undertook the same exercise last
MiLB collaborates with Stand Up To Cancer
Minor League Baseball announced a new collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C), an organization that funds the development of new and promising cancer treatments to help patients today. Founded in 2008, SU2C raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients.
These are the best tools on the new Top 100 Prospects list
Players featured on last year’s edition of the best tools among Top 100 prospects should look familiar to even casual baseball fans at this point. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (best fastball, slider) took the Major Leagues by storm as the NL Rookie of the Year, thanks to his hard-throwing ways
Answering your Top 100 Prospects list questions
MLB Pipeline released its new Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, and it was met with a bevy of questions and comments about fans' favorite prospects. To help make sense of all the inquiries, Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo took to Reddit and responded to fan questions in a Top 100 Prospect-focused
Here are every organization's Top 100 prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline’s 2025 Top 100 Prospects list went live on Friday night, led by the newest Dodger, right-hander Roki Sasaki, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony and Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins. There’s a lot of offensive firepower throughout the list, beyond those two outfielders at the top, but while the bats
Check out MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 100 Prospects list
He was one of the most sought-after talents this offseason, and he hadn’t even played stateside ball yet. Now, he can add another bullet point to his already lengthy baseball resume. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki tops MLB Pipeline’s 2025 preseason ranking of the Top 100 prospects, followed by Red Sox
The Show Before the Show: Episode 488
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Get ready to cheer for ... the Bathtub Donkeys?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to The Baseball Traveler newsletter here.
These are MLB’s No. 1 prospects at each position
MLB Pipeline's 2025 rankings of the Top 10 prospects at each position are official and the 2025 Top 100 Prospects list will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Friday on MLB Network and MLB.com.