Stephen Woods Jr.

Stephen Hugo Woods

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.

• School SUNY Albany
• High School Half Hollow Hills East High School

• Born June 10, 1995 in Huntington, NY USA

BR register page

Biographical Information

Stephen Woods Jr. has pitched as high as AAA and for the Italian national team.

Woods was 5-2 with a 0.63 ERA and 100 K in 50 innings as a high school senior, throwing two no-hitters and two one-hitters. The Tampa Bay Rays took him in the 6th round of the 2013 amateur draft, one round after Johnny Field, but he continued on to college instead of signing.

He struggled as a college freshman (1-5, 10.98), then improved to 3-6, 3.98 as a sophomore. He was 2-0 with a save and a 3.38 ERA for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod League, walking 14 in 18 2/3 IP but allowing only nine hits. As a junior, he was 3-5 with a 5.43 ERA and led the America East Conference with 88 K, one ahead of Mike Bunal. The San Francisco Giants chose him in the 8th round of the 2016 amateur draft. The scout was Ray Callari.

The right-hander split the summer between the AZL Giants (0-2, 2.67 in 10 G) and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (1-0, 5.63 in 2 G). In 2017, he had a 6-7, 2.95 record for the Augusta Greenjackets, fanning 113 but walking 64 in 110 innings. He was 10th in the South Atlantic League in Ks, but issued the most walks (four more than Luis Escobar) and was third with 20 wild pitches. Among Giants farmhands, he was second to Andrew Suárez in K (by 22), third in walks and second in wild pitches.

That winter, he was dealt to Tampa Bay with Christian Arroyo, Denard Span and Matt Krook for Evan Longoria in a major exchange. He missed 2018 due to a shoulder injury. He returned in 2019 and was very good for the Charlotte Stone Crabs at 9-3, 1.88. He tied Aaron Shortridge and Alejandro Requena for 5th in the Florida State League in victories, tied for 10th in the Rays chain.

The Royals took him with the fourth pick in the 2019 Rule V Draft but he did not make the team and was returned to the Rays. While the 2020 minor league season was wiped out by COVID-19, he was picked up by the Royals in a trade for cash or a player to be named. In 2021, he had a rough time for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (5-7, Sv, 7.42 ERA, 2.20 WHIP in 22 G). With the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, he posted a 4.67 ERA in ten outings.

Woods split '22 between Northwest Arkansas (2-0, Sv, 4.50 in 38 G) and the Omaha Storm Chasers (0 R in 3 IP). He was 7th in the Royals system in appearances on the hill (41). He then made Italy's team for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He made one appearance, relieving Joe Biagini with one out in the third, two on and a 4-2 deficit against Taiwan. Kun-Yu Chiang hit into a run-scoring error by Nicky Lopez. After Tsung-Che Cheng popped up a bunt, Li Lin singled but Dominic Fletcher threw out Po-Jung Wang at home. Italy took a 6-5 lead in the fourth then Woods went 1-2-3. After getting another run behind him, he allowed only a Chieh-Hsien Chen single in the 5th. In the 6th, though, he walked Lin and gave up a two-run homer to Yu Chang to tie it. With one out in the 7th, he walked Chen and Joey Marciano relieved. He wound up letting the runner score, giving Woods a third run to his name and more importantly saddling him with the loss as Taiwan did not allow anything further. Only Matt Harvey pitched more innings for Italy that Classic.