Bryan Woo wasn’t extremely regarded when the Seattle Mariners chosen him within the sixth spherical of the 2021 draft out of Cal Poly. That’s comprehensible. The low-slot righty had a 6.36 ERA in his three collegiate seasons, together with a 6.11 mark in his injury-hampered junior 12 months. After present process Tommy John surgical procedure in April 2021, he made his skilled debut in ’22.
Now, the 24-year-old is displaying that Seattle’s director of pitching technique, Travis Clean, wasn’t fully out of his thoughts when he reportedly instructed members of the Mariners entrance workplace previous to the draft that “this man can be one-one for me.” Whereas it’s unlikely that Woo goes to be pretty much as good or higher than the entire 173 gamers drafted forward of him, his numbers have nonetheless been spectacular. Since making his large league debut in July 2023, he has a 3.60 ERA and a 3.96 FIP over 137 1/3 innings throughout his 28 begins with the Mariners. In 10 outings this 12 months, he’s 4-1 with a 2.54 ERA and a 3.25 FIP. It’s price noting that this success hasn’t precisely come out of nowhere. Together with 4 rehab outings this 12 months, Woo logged a 2.97 ERA and 162 strikeouts over 115 innings as a minor leaguer.
Woo introduced up his backstory once I requested him how he’s developed as pitcher.
“Going via the draft-and-scouting course of, I really feel like numerous it was based mostly on my potential,” Woo instructed me when the Mariners performed in Cleveland final month. “I didn’t have nice outcomes on the time. It was based mostly off of, ‘He may very well be this. It seems to be like he’s growing into that.’ For me, it was about believing that I may get there, that I may proceed to get higher. That’s form of the story. I wasn’t too well-known. If you happen to take a look at in on paper, it was by no means, ‘This man is basically good.’ The numbers by no means actually confirmed that I used to be.”
Not surprisingly, Woo additionally introduced up the truth that he’d been injured when he was drafted, and the way that made for lots of uncertainty. As he put it, “I didn’t fairly know what was going to occur. It may have been a bit increased. I may have gone so much decrease. I actually wasn’t positive.”
He did know that his repertoire wanted each refinement and enhancement. The Oakland native had a mid-90s four-seam fastball when wholesome however nothing else to put in writing house about. His slider, which he described as having been “OK,” was a pitch he’d throw right here and there. He additionally had a changeup, however that principally sat in his again pocket.
Growing a second heater has been particularly impactful for him. He added a two-seamer to his arsenal final 12 months whereas toeing the rubber for the Arkansas Vacationers.
“Final 12 months, earlier than I received known as up, our pitching coordinator got here all the way down to Double-A, the place I used to be at,” Woo stated. “He sat in on considered one of my bullpens and stated, ‘Simply attempt it.’ I used to be having numerous excessive pitch depend video games — I wasn’t getting many fast outs — and he stated that it may very well be a software to make use of to get some faster outs, some weaker contact. Loads of my recreation was strikeouts and fly balls. There weren’t many environment friendly outs, I suppose you can say. So, we tried the 2 and it has progressed from there.”
Up to now this season, Woo has thrown 51.4% four-seamers and 27.2% two-seamers, in addition to 7.2% changeups, 7.1% sweepers, and seven.0% sliders. The final of that blend, in keeping with the righty, acts extra like a gyro when he throws it low, and extra like a cutter when he throws it towards the highest of the zone. His circle changeup is a pitch he described as having “rather less vertical and a bit bit extra horizontal, in addition to little bit slower, than my sinker.” Requested which of his off-speed pitches he sees as his most important secondary providing going ahead, he stated that he’s happy with the progress of all three and wouldn’t take one over the opposite.
As for his two fastballs, the 6-foot-2 Woo wasn’t inclined to choose between them both. As a substitute of selecting favorites, he described why he’s had success along with his heaters regardless of their comparatively unimpressive metrics.
“Neither one performs tremendous excessive metrically; the vertical and horizontal motion aren’t something loopy,” Woo stated. “I feel it’s simply my slot, form of how the ball comes out, that makes them a bit bit completely different.”
The slot is certainly completely different. As Pitcher Listing’s Jack Foley defined final summer time, “At 4’11” off the bottom, Woo has a launch top a full foot beneath the typical.”
Woo instructed me that he was extra excessive in highschool, solely to have his arm “form of decrease by itself all through faculty, post-surgery, and professional ball.” He claimed to have by no means purposefully dropped it down, however quite has simply continued to throw in a approach that feels most snug. Not so snug are opposing batters. They’ve only a .220 xBA and a 2.7% barrel charge in opposition to the low-slot righty this season. When wholesome — he missed the primary month with elbow irritation and later was on the shelf for 3 weeks with a hamstring pressure — Woo is difficult to sq. up.