Jake Woodford

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #25 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: A high school teammate of Kyle Tucker at Tampa's Plant High, Woodford has taken a little longer than Tucker to develop but he's climbed the minor league ladder steadily, gotten stronger and thrown harder. Woodford has never dominated as a pro, but he's been dependable enough to work his way to the majors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Working out of the pen for multiple innings in his big league debut, Woodford pitched like a starter. He mixed fastballs, sliders, curveballs and even a couple of changeups, but his command strayed. Woodford's fringe-average 92-94 mph fastball is relatively straight. He gives up hard contact if he isn't around the edges of the zone. He showed little feel for his potentially above-average, mid-70s curveball. He bounces it or sails it, but it has exceptional depth if he can figure out better command. He commands his average slider the best, and it has solid depth but little tilt.
  
  THE FUTURE: Woodford was hit hard in his MLB debut, but his curveball and slider give him a shot to develop into a multi-inning reliever or spot starter.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #14 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: The Cardinals drafted Woodford 39th overall in 2015 and signed him for $1.8 million. He spent all of 2019 at Triple-A Memphis and finished third in the Pacific Coast League in ERA (4.15) and strikeouts (131), but he also issued a league-high 75 walks.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Woodford is a burly 6-foot-4, 220-pound righthander who flashes big stuff. His fastball sits 94-96 mph and his cutter works 87-89 mph in short bursts, but both lose steam as his outings progress and settle in as average offerings. His mid-80s changeup and upper 70s curveball flash average as well. Woodford struggles to maintain his aggressiveness or throw the right pitches in the right situations, often taking his foot off the gas against weaker hitters and getting tentative in the strike zone. The result is long innings and elevated walk totals.
  
  THE FUTURE: Woodford may break in as a starter, but most see his future as a short-burst reliever. His ML debut should come in 2020.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #16 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Woodford served as the ace of Tampa's Plant High in 2015 while BA High School Player of the Year Kyle Tucker anchored the lineup. Tucker went fifth overall to the Astros in the draft and Woodford went 39th to the Cardinals. Woodford moved from Double-A to Triple-A as a 21-year-old in 2018 and finished second in the Cardinals' organization in innings pitched (145), but he struggled to a 4.90 ERA.
  
  Scouting Report: Woodford's fastball sits 93 mph and touches 95 mph. It's above-average velocity, but Woodford is still learning how to use his heater effectively. He shies away from pitching inside and doesn't demonstrate much confidence in his fastball, resulting in a lot of deep counts and a rising walk rate. Woodford's best secondary is an average cutter with good velocity, but he falls in love with it too much. He has an average changeup and breaking ball, but he doesn't use either pitch regularly enough.
  
  The Future: Woodford is young and durable, and the hope is he'll learn to use his arsenal better with time and experience. He'll start back at Triple-A in 2019.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #18 prospect in 2018
  Scouts flocked to Tampa's Plant High in 2015 to see outfielder Kyle Tucker, and Woodford took advantage of the eyes on his teammate. Tucker went fifth overall to the Astros, and the Cardinals drafted Woodford shortly after with the 39th overall pick and signed him for $1.8 million. Woodford has slowly grown into his projectable frame and been increasingly durable at every level. His 3.10 ERA led the high Class A Florida State League in 2017, and he finished in the top 10 in innings and WHIP as well. Woodford's success is derived from his intelligence and pitchability as much as his stuff. He adds and subtracts from his fastball, sitting 91-92 mph but reaching for 94-96 when he needs it, and he manipulates the pitch to give it added sink or cut as needed. Woodford's changeup progressed to average and his slider is still a work in progress, although it will flash average. He ties it all together with excellent control. Woodford's frame leaves room for a velocity bump, but even if it doesn't come evaluators still see enough for him to be a pitchability righthander in the vein of Jeff Suppan. A move to Double-A awaits in 2018.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #17 prospect in 2017
  Outshined by hitters like Paul DeJong and Harrison Bader in his draft class and overshadowed by the power arms he shared a rotation with in low Class A Peoria, Woodford still has a ceiling as high as any because of his frame and the pitches he flashes. Woodford made the most of his time in front of scouts who came to see his high school teammate and first-round pick Kyle Tucker, the 2015 High School Player of the Year. Woodford has a projectable body, a competitive poise, and he proved to be a quick study in his pro debut. Within his first 12 months, Woodford's changeup and breaking ball both improved. He has games where all his pitches are average to above, though consistency isn't always at his fingertips. Peoria's opening day starter, at 19, Woodford builds his game around a sinking two-seamer that has a steep downhill angle and hitters have difficulty elevating. He doesn't have the high-octane arm of Sandy Alcantara, but Woodford is expected to see a spike from his 90-92 mph fastball as he builds strength and stamina. He and Jack Flaherty are similar enough that they're jockeying for advancement, and either could see Double-A.
• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #17 prospect in 2016
  Woodford has grown accustomed to hitters around him getting all the attention. At Plant High--alma mater of Hall of Famer Wade Boggs and current Orioles righthander Mychal Givens--Woodford played with Kyle Tucker, the 2015 High School Player of the Year and Astros first-round pick. In the Cardinals' draft class, he was the lone pitcher among St. Louis' top four selections, and while he had a strong debut, it wasn't as electric as those of college picks Harrison Bader and Paul DeJong. Those players are much closer to the majors than Woodford, but Woodford has the higher ceiling. He has an excellent pitcher's body at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and showed aptitude in his pro debut, improving his changeup and curveball as the season went along. His final Rookie-level Gulf Coast League start went for five shutout innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Woodford pitches with an average fastball that has touched 94 mph, and he stays tall in his delivery, throwing downhill. He'll have to maintain that, because his fastball is true. He also throws a slider, but none of his three secondary pitches grades as above-average. Woodford will try to emulate Jack Flaherty's feat and show enough progress this offseason and in spring training to make the rotation at low Class A Peoria in 2016.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #49 prospect in 2015 draft
  While outfielder Kyle Tucker has generated buzz as a potential top 10 pick, he's not the only prospect scouts went to Plant High to see this spring. Woodford has also made some noise of his own and may hear his own name called not long after Tucker's. Woodford showed premium velocity this spring, routinely running his fastball up to 94 mph and holding that velocity deep into his starts thanks to his arm strength. His simple delivery helps him to command his fastball well, and the sink he gets on the pitch creates plenty of groundballs. His secondary stuff wasn't as consistent this year, as his breaking ball got a little slurvy. He's shown a good slider in the past, however, and he has the makings of a solid changeup, though he didn't need it much in high school. At 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, Woodford has a good pitcher's frame with room for more strength gains. He earns praise for his competitive mentality on the mound and has the look of a future workhorse starter. Like Tucker, he is committed to Florida, and a team will likely have to take him early to sign him away from the Gators.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A high school teammate of Kyle Tucker at Tampa's Plant High, Woodford has taken a little longer than Tucker to develop but he's climbed the minor league ladder steadily, gotten stronger and thrown harder. Woodford has never dominated as a pro, but he's been dependable enough to work his way to the majors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Working out of the pen for multiple innings in his big league debut, Woodford pitched like a starter. He mixed fastballs, sliders, curveballs and even a couple of changeups, but his command strayed. Woodford's fringe-average 92-94 mph fastball is relatively straight. He gives up hard contact if he isn't around the edges of the zone. He showed little feel for his potentially above-average, mid-70s curveball. He bounces it or sails it, but it has exceptional depth if he can figure out better command. He commands his average slider the best, and it has solid depth but little tilt.
  
  THE FUTURE: Woodford was hit hard in his MLB debut, but his curveball and slider give him a shot to develop into a multi-inning reliever or spot starter.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A high school teammate of Kyle Tucker at Tampa's Plant High, Woodford has taken a little longer than Tucker to develop but he's climbed the minor league ladder steadily, gotten stronger and thrown harder. Woodford has never dominated as a pro, but he's been dependable enough to work his way to the majors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Working out of the pen for multiple innings in his big league debut, Woodford pitched like a starter. He mixed fastballs, sliders, curveballs and even a couple of changeups, but his command strayed. Woodford's fringe-average 92-94 mph fastball is relatively straight. He gives up hard contact if he isn't around the edges of the zone. He showed little feel for his potentially above-average, mid-70s curveball. He bounces it or sails it, but it has exceptional depth if he can figure out better command. He commands his average slider the best, and it has solid depth but little tilt.
  
  THE FUTURE: Woodford was hit hard in his MLB debut, but his curveball and slider give him a shot to develop into a multi-inning reliever or spot starter.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Cardinals drafted Woodford 39th overall in 2015 and signed him for $1.8 million. He spent all of 2019 at Triple-A Memphis and finished third in the Pacific Coast League in ERA (4.15) and strikeouts (131), but he also issued a league-high 75 walks.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Woodford is a burly 6-foot-4, 220-pound righthander who flashes big stuff. His fastball sits 94-96 mph and his cutter works 87-89 mph in short bursts, but both lose steam as his outings progress and settle in as average offerings. His mid-80s changeup and upper 70s curveball flash average as well. Woodford struggles to maintain his aggressiveness or throw the right pitches in the right situations, often taking his foot off the gas against weaker hitters and getting tentative in the strike zone. The result is long innings and elevated walk totals.
  
  THE FUTURE: Woodford may break in as a starter, but most see his future as a short-burst reliever. His ML debut should come in 2020.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Cardinals drafted Woodford 39th overall in 2015 and signed him for $1.8 million. He spent all of 2019 at Triple-A Memphis and finished third in the Pacific Coast League in ERA (4.15) and strikeouts (131), but he also issued a league-high 75 walks.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Woodford is a burly 6-foot-4, 220-pound righthander who flashes big stuff. His fastball sits 94-96 mph and his cutter works 87-89 mph in short bursts, but both lose steam as his outings progress and settle in as average offerings. His mid-80s changeup and upper 70s curveball flash average as well. Woodford struggles to maintain his aggressiveness or throw the right pitches in the right situations, often taking his foot off the gas against weaker hitters and getting tentative in the strike zone. The result is long innings and elevated walk totals.
  
  THE FUTURE: Woodford may break in as a starter, but most see his future as a short-burst reliever. His ML debut should come in 2020.