Fodge was a 1950 graduate of South Bend Central High School, lettering in baseball, basketball and tennis. He was originally signed by the Cubs as an amateur free-agent in 1950, and was assigned to Class-D Janesville Cubs in 1951. He ended with a 12–13 record and a 3.78 earned run average in his first professional season. He then went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps for two years during the Korean War.\n', '

Following his discharge, Fodge returned to play in 1954 and posted a 5–4 record with a 3.99 ERA in 29 games for Class-A Des Moines Bruins.\n', '

Fodge improved markedly with Des Moines in 1955, going 16-10 with a 2.28 ERA in 36 games, including 29 starts. The next season, he finished 19-7 with a 4.31 ERA in 44 games (25 starts) for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. In 1957 Fodge pitched Double-A ball with the Fort Worth Cats, Memphis Chickasaws and Portland Beavers, going to a combined 8-14 with a 4.30 ERA in 34 games (22 starts).\n', '

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