Bryan Woo and His Quest For Greatness

 

 

Bryan Woo is a starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, debuting on June 1st, 2023. It was not a bad year for Bryan in 2023, but it was not great either, finishing the year with 4 wins and 5 losses. He started the 2024 season on rehab in Triple-A Tacoma for three games, posting 17 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings of work. Right then, improvements were becoming apparent.

 

Woo is pitching mostly fastballs, baffling the Yankees in his latest start. He was not scared at all to pitch to Aaron Judge right in the middle of the plate, almost as if to dare him to hit it. He is young at 24 years old, so he has a long career ahead of him. His pitch mix includes sliders, sweepers, change-ups, and, of course, his most effective pitch, the fastball. He may just have the most unique kind of fastball for an active pitcher right now. The low release point of his fastball and his mix of locations has been an incredible combination, fooling hitters as it is able to go up into the strike zone faster than most. 

 

I am surprised though that Scott Servais, the Mariner's manager, took Woo out of the game after only 77 pitches. Perhaps he did not want to put too much stress on him quite yet, as it was not that long ago that he was in rehab.

 

Bryan has always been transparent about his need for improvement. To me, that is very important. It suggests that he is a forever student who wants to keep on working on his craft. Some may disagree, but a master of any craft can also be a student because there is always something new to learn.

 

I am looking forward to seeing how this young talent progresses. If he continues to pitch like that, he will continue to attract a large fan base. That is guaranteed.