J.B. Woodman Stats & Scouting Report

AB	819
AVG	.258
OBP	.34
SLG	.396
HR	17

Full name John Bryant Woodman
Born 12/13/1994 in Orlando, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Mississippi
Drafted in the 2nd round (57th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016 (signed for $975,000).

View Draft Report

Woodman had some draft helium out of high school, where he was also a football quarterback, but he wanted to go to Ole Miss and wound up falling to the 40th round (Mets). Woodman was a contributor to the Rebels' 2014 College World Series team but took on a larger role the last two seasons as the club's everyday right fielder. He had his best season as a junior, leading the Southeastern Conference in home runs with 13 entering the league tournament. Woodman had a rough Cape Cod League turn, swinging and missing a lot, but he's made more contact this spring, allowing him to get to his power. Woodman has a good pro body at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, and at least average speed that could allow him to stay in center field in the short run. He has enough arm strength for right field and checks a lot of the same boxes as former Ole Miss outfielder Seth Smith, who's had a long big league career. He's hit lefthanders well this spring and his performance could push him into the first three rounds.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

A 40th-round pick out of high school by the Mets, Woodman instead headed to Mississippi and helped the Rebels reach the College World Series as a freshman. A prep quarterback, Woodman loosened up physically and lost some of his football physique, and it helped him have his best college season as a junior. He tied for the Southeastern Conference lead with 14 home runs and the Blue Jays took him 57th overall, signing him for $975,000. His debut was mixed. After slumping through a 4-for-32 start, Woodman showed above-average power and ranked fifth in the short-season Northwest League in doubles, but also ranked fifth in strikeouts before a late promotion to low Class A Lansing. Woodman split his time between center field and right after signing, and the Jays believe he will be a plus defender in right who could also handle center. He is an above-average runner underway who can steal a base as well. Woodman struck out in nearly 32 percent of his plate appearances, a consequence of his willingness to work deep counts and his own pitch recognition issues. The tradeoff may be worth it if he can be a power-speed center fielder, and he may have enough polish to jump to high Class A Dunedin in

Draft Prospects

Woodman had some draft helium out of high school, where he was also a football quarterback, but he wanted to go to Ole Miss and wound up falling to the 40th round (Mets). Woodman was a contributor to the Rebels' 2014 College World Series team but took on a larger role the last two seasons as the club's everyday right fielder. He had his best season as a junior, leading the Southeastern Conference in home runs with 13 entering the league tournament. Woodman had a rough Cape Cod League turn, swinging and missing a lot, but he's made more contact this spring, allowing him to get to his power. Woodman has a good pro body at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, and at least average speed that could allow him to stay in center field in the short run. He has enough arm strength for right field and checks a lot of the same boxes as former Ole Miss outfielder Seth Smith, who's had a long big league career. He's hit lefthanders well this spring and his performance could push him into the first three rounds.
Woodman has football athleticism and had a successful career as a prep quarterback in Orlando as a three-year starter at quarterback. Still, he committed to Mississippi for baseball and is focused on the diamond going forward. Woodman has a lefthanded, line-drive swing, and scouts who like him see a potential leadoff man or No. 2 hitter. He's a plus runner with a chance to play center field, steal bases and hit for average. Woodman needs polish for his baserunning and routes in the outfield; for now, he just outruns his mistakes. He has shown power to the gaps, and scouts can dream that the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder could come into power as he adds baseball experience. He's considered a tough sign if he's not drafted in the first three rounds.

Minor League Top Prospects

Woodman tied for the Southeastern Conference lead in home runs and showed an intriguing combination of power and speed this year that could allow him to be an offensive-minded center fielder. He played some right field toward the end of his tenure at Vancouver, and he has the power and arm strength to profile there if necessary. Evaluators around the league noted that Woodman made a lot of hard contact and showed the ability to hit both fastballs and offspeed pitches equally well. He showed contact problems by ranking fifth in the league with 72 strikeouts. He's a steady defender who gets good jumps and reads on balls and has speed enough to steal double-digit bases.