Cox (FPD and Mercer) the latest Central Georgia to get a call to The Show
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Last Thursday, Austin Cox threw six shutout innings and struck out five, for his first win with Omaha, Kansas City’s Class AAA team.
A week later, Cox will be wearing a different uniform, that of the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals promoted Cox to the big leagues Wednesday afternoon, on the day he was scheduled to start at Omaha. His next start will apparently be a Major League start, according to MLB.com.
Kansas City hosts Baltimore on Wednesday and Thursday, and Oakland the next three days. He didn’t pitch in the Royals’ 6-0 win Wednesday.
A Central Georgia meeting nearly developed. Baltimore sent back former Houston County pitcher D.L. Hall to its AAA affiliate in Norfolk last Saturday, after one day as the Orioles’ 27th man for a doubleheader.
Cox is the second player from Central Georgia to suit up for Kansas City. Terrance Gore of Jones County was with the Royals from 2014-2017, then again in 2019. He’s currently unsigned.
This is Cox’s third season in Omaha, counting two rough starts in 2021, after COVID-19 eliminated minor-league ball in 2020.
He went 7-7 last year with a 4.21 ERA in Omaha, striking out 105 with 50 walks in 147.1 innings, batters hitting .217 against him this year and .273 last year.
Cox has pitched in Burlington, Wilmington, Lexington, Northwest Arkansas, and Omaha since starting his pro career in 2018, after being drafted in the fifth round by Kansas City.
He is 21-15 in the minors with a solid 3.58 ERA, 367 strikeouts in 399.2 innings, with 144 walks and 380 hits.
Cox went 12-8 in three seasons at Mercer, with a 5.71 ERA, 234 strikeouts and 89 walks in 179.2 innings. He played for Jimmy Turner and Denny Bryant at FPD, going 15-6 with a 2.19 ERA and 169 strikeouts. He was a captain for the Vikings in baseball and football.
The Royals are last in the AL Central at 7-23, 10 games back of Minnesota.