Idaho is known for producing lot of different things.
Potatoes and football players are two of them, but baseball players are probably not at top of the list.
The argument can be made that football and basketball are more popular sports, and that the springtime weather in Idaho is less than ideal than in other parts of the world, which can wreak havoc on the season.
Do a quick Google search to see how many professional baseball players are from the state Idaho and the list is less than 35. Hall-of-Famer Harmon Killebrew grew up in Payette and is probably the most famous to come out of the Gem state.
While the majority of the players from Idaho are from the Western and Northern parts of the state, there are a decent number from Eastern Idaho and six from Pocatello that have made it into the professional ranks.
Pocatello High School graduate Kody Kirkland is one of those six players from Pocatello that have had the opportunity to live out a childhood dream and play professional baseball.
Kirkland just finished his ninth professional season, the most recent as a member of the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic (Independent) League.
While Kirkland, 29, has come close to playing in the Major Leagues twice during his career, he continues to play with the hope of making his debut in MLB before he decides to hang up his spikes.
The journey from Pocatello to the minor leagues was a long one for Kirkland. After having to deal with the less than ideal playing conditions of Southeast Idaho and overcoming the lack of visibility to big league scouts, Kirkland became the first player from Pocatello High School to be drafted by a big league club.
“It had always been my childhood dream to play in the big leagues,” Kirkland said. “As young as I can remember I had a bat and a ball and my dad was my little league coach. So baseball has been a big part of my life.”
While Kirkland always had the goal of reaching the Major Leagues, he was also a great football player during his time at Pocatello High where he played for current Highland head coach Gino Mariani.
Even with all of his success on the football field, baseball was always his first love and where he spent most of his energy.
“There was actually quite of few times in high school were I quit football,” Kirkland said. “I missed jamborees to play in tournaments. I really wanted to focus on baseball. I thought about trying to play both football and baseball in college, but there are not enough schools that are good at both.”
Kirkland is also a very accomplished skier.
With baseball as his primary focus, Kirkland spent much of the year traveling and playing in tournaments with various travel teams. With those squads he got the chance to travel to different states, something that opened the door for scouts to see him.
It’s well-known that springtime weather in Pocatello can be less than ideal, and Kirkland knows that better than most. During his time in high school Kirkland experienced his fair share of games in cold, rainy and sometimes snowy weather.
“The weather in Idaho is a difficult thing,” he said. “Spring ball is awful and when I played we had nowhere inside to hit or other places around to go, so it was really difficult to work on improving my skills in bad weather.”
“I was absolutely not scouted at all in high school,” Kirkland said. “I think there was one scout at one of games in Pocatello. I did have five scouts at a game I played in Minico, but other than that most of the scouting I received came when I was out of the state.”
Kirkland said that baseball has grown so much in Idaho since he graduated from in 2001. He said that the increase in travel and club teams allow kids to be scouted at a very young age.
“Kids in Idaho are behind the eight ball a little bit,” Kirkland said. “Because of the weather and many of the kids in high school are three and four sport athletes, they really have to stand out to compete with kids in California, Arizona and Nevada because those kids can play all year where in Idaho we can’t.”
Kirkland’s parents Mike and Lynette took out a second mortgage on their house to get Kirkland to camps and tournaments and allow showcase his talents.
One of those tournaments was called the Area Code Games where he was one of three kids from Idaho to play on teams in front of a stadium full of Major League Baseball scouts.
“The Area Code Games really gave me a lot of exposure,” Kirkland said. “I played in Long Beach, Calif. in front of the largest group of people I have ever played in front of. They were all parents and scouts. I was fortunate to play well at the right place at the right time. Everything started for me when I played out of state.”
All of the years of dedication finally paid off for Kirkland on June 6, 2001 when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 30th round of the Major League draft.
“I kind of knew I was going to get drafted,” he said. “I thought I was going to get drafted on the first day but I did not. I got drafted on my graduation day by the Pirates.”
“I remember that my family and I were sitting around, and back then a long distance phone call had a different ring sound to than a local call,” Kirkland said. “When the phone rang it was a long distance ring and I knew I had been drafted.”
On the phone was a representative from the Pirates. After meeting with Kirkland and his family, he and the team decided that it would be better for him to attend a year of school to see how he progressed.
Kirkland enrolled for a year at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.
After his single season he reported to rookie ball as a member of the Gulf Coast League Pirates at the tender age of 19.
Kirkland lasted just one year in the Pirates organization as he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in 2002.
Kirkland spent five years in the Tigers’ farm system and in 2004 was actually named the No. six ranked prospect for the club.
“It’s extremely hard,” Kirkland said of playing in the minor leagues. “People don’t realize how hard the game is on you physically and mentally. It’s a grind. There are years that I have played over 200 games a year.”
Kirkland also spent time with minor league clubs in the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros organizations. The last two seasons he has played in the Atlantic League, and most recently for the Lancaster Barnstormers.
Injuries cut his 2012 season short, but Kirkland was able to hit 18 home runs in 200 at-bats for Lancaster.
“I hurt my back the second game of the season,” he said. “I played after missing sometime and it went right back to where it was, it was miserable. I have had five epidural shots so far this year. Right now I am trying to get better. I do physical therapy five days a week and am hoping to avoid surgery.”
Despite not having reached the Major Leagues yet, Kirkland still has a dream of hopefully getting there. Currently he is deciding where he will play baseball next season, with offers in Japan on the table. He could also stay state-side and return to the Atlantic League.
“I am always shooting to get to the big leagues,” Kirkland said. “Japan can open a lot of doors for me. I am going to do what’s best for me and if that’s Japan, then that’s where I will go.”
Kirkland actually spent three weeks last fall working out in Japan so he is familiar with the differences in the game and unique nature of the fans.
Kirkland spends his offseasons in Pocatello and is a co-owner of the Next Level Idaho baseball and softball training facility with another former professional player in Christian Colonel.
“I love working with kids that want to be there and to get better,” Kirkland said. “I love helping the kids get scholarships and building relationships with the kids and their parents. There is nothing more I would rather be doing that passing on my knowledge and experiences to the next generation of ball players.”