Prospect spotlight: Rockies' reliever Coty Woods

Coty Woods has never really been considered a prospect -- here's a guy who earned a spot on his junior college team after a high school teammate arranged a tryout and then after a year at Middle Tennessee State was taken in the 33rd round of the 2009 draft, well after the likes of Stephen Strasburg, Dustin Ackley and Aaron Crow.

"I remind myself that I wasn't supposed to make it this far. There aren't many 33rd round guys in Double-A usually, let's be honest. I keep reminding myself that I'm very fortunate to have the success I've had," Woods said on Thursday. "For me to be drafted, in high school if you'd have told any of the guys that I'd played with that I'd be playing professional ball, much less in Double-A, they'd have laughed at you."

This winter, though, for the first time, Woods was included in Baseball America's top 30 of Rockies prospects, albeit at a modest 29. But if he continues doing what he's doing, he'll be higher on that list in 2013 and a callup at that point isn't out of the question.

"Hopefully he does make it and become an impact bullpen guy for us, it'd be a great story," Jeff Bridich, the Rockies' senior director of baseball operations.

The right-hander is 2-0 with four saves so far this season and hasn't given up a run in 12 appearances. He's struck out 11 and walked just one in 12 innings. Last season at high-Class A Modesto, he was 5-4 with a 2.19 ERA and a save, striking out 88 and walking 33 in 78 innings.

Woods was an outfielder until his junior year of high school when his coach needed a pitcher and called on him to take the mound. Before sending him out there, he had another request -- throw sidearmed. With low expectations, Woods threw five hitless innings and from that point on was a pitcher. After following a high school teammate to Walters State in Knoxville, Tenn., he played at Middle Tennessee State. At each stop -- and into the minors -- Woods' arm slot rose to where now he's just about a true sidearmed pitcher. With that, and a growth spurt that's ended with him at 6-foot-2, he's throwing in the low 90s.

"With his slot, his fastball is an action pitch more than it is for some other guys," Bridich said. "It naturally moves and sinks so much because of how he throws. Generally  success for any pitcher anywhere no matter what role you have it comes down to how you command your fastball, and not just control it but command it."

His arm slot has also made him more successful against right-handed batters, something he knows could lead to him becoming a right-handed specialist if he finds his way to the big leagues. For now, though, he's sharing closing duties with Josh Sullivan.

"He's pitched at the back-end of the bullpen where he's been, which is great because in a lot of ways it mirrors the type of pressure pitching that the late innings do at the big-league level," Bridich said. "With Coty and his type of fiery makeup and competitiveness on the mound, that's helped him navigate the late innings year after year and that's really great experience for him as a pitcher."

Whenever he does feel pressure, Woods said he thinks about his mother, Beverly Hurst, who passed away this offseason after a lengthy battle with cancer.

"I use her in baseball, some people may find that weird. It calms me down," Woods said. "Now that I'm closing this year, that's what I did in college. I use it more as a calming down. A lot of times in baseball when they start thinking too much, you put pressure on yourself, you create pressure, and I use her memory."

Hurst, her son said, wasn't supposed to last more than two months after her diagnosis at the age of 39. But she persevered and didn't succumb to the disease until this offseason at the age of 47.

"Every March it was tough when she'd drop me off at the airport, wondering if it'd be the last time I saw her. It was reality," Woods said. "Luckily I was able to be home when she did pass away. I knew it was going to happen anyway, she was a miracle anyway -- she wasn't supposed to live two months after she was diagnosed -- maybe that's where I get my fight from."

PROSPECT TALK

• Boston's Matt Barnes was moved from low-Class A Greenville to high-Class A Salem after striking out 42 batters in 26 2/3 innings in the South Atlantic League.

• Yankees lefty Manny Banuelos returned from a back injury to throw 3 2/3 scoreless innings on Wednesday, giving up two hits, striking out five and walking none at Triple-A Rochester. Banuelos hadn't pitched since April 12.

• Dylan Bundy finally gave up a hit. But just one. Monday the Orioles' first-rounder had his worst outing as a pro -- four innings pitched, one hit, no runs, one walk and four strikeouts. Yep, that's his worst. Oh, and both of the baserunners were doubled up, so he still faced the minimum 12 batters in his four-inning stint. In 17 innings for low-Class A Delmarva, Bundy's allowed just that one hit, two walks and has 25 strikeouts. He's expected to have one more four-inning start before moving on to five.

• Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole picked up his first win of the season on Monday. At high-Class A Bradenton, Cole allowed just on hit and no runs in six innings, striking out six and walking one. The No. 1 pick in last year's draft is 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA in 23 inning, striking out 29 and walking seven.

• Indians first baseman Matt LaPorta -- the centerpiece of the CC Sabathia deal with Milwaukee -- hasn't found his way as a big-league player in three different stints with the Indians, but he's swinging a hot bat at Triple-A right now. He's hitting .384/.449/.767 with 9 homers.