Blake Wood Stats & Scouting Report

IP	289
ERA	4.484
WHIP	1.491
BB/9	4.422
SO/9	8.595

Full name Blake Daniel Wood
Born 08/08/1985 in Atlanta, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 233 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Georgia Tech
Debut 05/12/2010
Drafted in the 3rd round (77th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2006 (signed for $460,000).

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Blake Wood opened the season as the Jackets' No. 1 starter but had shin splints that prevented him from running between starts and it appeared to affect his performance. He followed up a 10-1, 3.13 sophomore campaign by going 9-4, 5.02 this spring with 38 walks, 80 strikeouts and a .290 opponent average in 95 innings. Wood doesn't pitch as aggressively as some scouts would like, and his fastball/slider repertoire would play up if he pitched off his fastball and challenged hitters, rather than relying on his slider. His fastball has been clocked between 90-94 mph. He's shown an ability to work it in and out, up and down, and he has some feel for pitching.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Wood continues to be proof that a huge radar-gun reading isn't enough to be successful. He throws a 93-94 mph fastball that touches 97, as well as a power curveball that can be a strikeout pitch and an average changeup. Yet he has posted ERAs above 5.00 in Double-A in each of the past two seasons. He had even less success in the Arizona Fall League, going 1-1, 6.75 in 15 innings. Injuries have been part of Wood's problem. He had back surgery in 2007 to repair a herniated disc and missed the start of the 2009 season with more back problems. He returned quickly but missed another two months later in the season with elbow inflammation. Wood's delivery also doesn't do him any favors. He opens up too early, giving hitters a good look at his fastball. His struggles as a starter have led the Royals to look at him as a reliever, where his inability to repeat his delivery may be less of a problem. Kansas City added him to the 40-man roster in the offseason and still hopes that he could be a solid big league contributor, but his struggles have lowered his ceiling from a middle-of-the-rotation starter to more of a setup man. He should get his first taste of Triple-A in 2010.
Wood missed the first three months of the 2007 season after back surgery to repair a herniated disc. While recovering, he focused on improving his conditioning, lost 25 pounds and improved his athleticism. He stayed healthy in 2008, though he struggled once he reached Double-A. On the nights where everything is working, Wood looks like he's ready for the big leagues. He has a heavy fastball that sits between 92-94 mph and touches 97. He'll also flash a power curveball and a plus changeup. Some believe he's more likely to stick as a starter than Daniel Cortes or Carlos Rosa. There are still too many games where Wood can't locate his fastball, buries his curveball in the dirt and doesn't have feel for his changeup. He doesn't always repeat his delivery, which leads to command issues, and too often speeds up his tempo. When he drops his arm slot, he leaves his fastball up in the zone and his curve loses bite. He rarely has both his curve and changeup working in the same outing. Unless he wows the Royals in spring training, Wood will head back to Double-A. If he can improve his command, he has a chance to become a No. 2 or 3 starter in the majors.
Wood missed the first half of 2007 after having surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back but made up for lost time with a stellar second half. Wood described the operation as instant relief, and he improved with seemingly every start. His success carried over to Hawaii Winter Baseball, where he went 2-1, 3.55 with 57 strikeouts in 33 innings. Wood throws a heavy 94-95 mph fastball with some natural bore and an above-average curveball with true 12-to-6 break. He gained velocity on his fastball last year after learning not to overthrow it. He continues to improve an average changeup with good action down in the zone. Mechanics continue to be Wood's biggest obstacle. Though he doesn't rely on blowing the ball past hitters as he did in 2006--which caused him to hurry his delivery--he still needs to improve his balance and trust that he has plenty of arm strength and life in his fastball to overwhelm hitters. Once he got going, Wood had the look of a frontline starter, and he should provide a better look at his ceiling with a full season in 2008. He'll start the year in high Class A and figures to get a midseason promotion.
Wood went 10-1, 3.13 as a Georgia Tech sophomore before slumping to an 11-4, 4.79 mark as a junior last spring. The Royals thought he was better than a third-round talent and gladly took him there and signed him for $460,000. Once he recovered from shin splints that bothered him in college and made some progress with his delivery, Wood threw his lively fastball at 93-95 mph in his pro debut. He also has a changeup with good action down in the strike zone. Wood's biggest problem is inconsistent mechanics. He'ill lower his arm slot while landing on a stiff front side, causing his pitches to stay up in the zone as he flies off the mound in his finish. It also leads to his curveball flattening out. Wood went to instructional league with a focus on improving his direction to the plate and incorporating his lower half more. The Royals love his arm strength and raw stuff and see a lot of upside once he smoothes out his delivery. A good spring training could mean he skips low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Wood made up for lost time after his first full pro season in 2007 was delayed by a herniated disc in his back that required surgery. He needed just 10 starts with Wilmington, recording quality starts in his final six outings, before earning a promotion to Double-A in late May. Wood threw a fastball that topped out at 94-95; it has sink and bores in on righthanded hittes. His true 12-to-6 curveball gives him a second plus pitch. He still needs to refine his mechanics and improve his changeup, but he throws strikes and has served notice that he'll be pushing for a spot in the Royals rotation before too long.