Woodmansee Develops Into Complete Player

Tracy Smith arrived at Arizona State after the 2014 season, taking over as the Sun Devils coach after nine years at Indiana. Part of settling into the new job was learning about the players he had inherited.

Among those returning Sun Devils was shortstop Colby Woodmansee, who had hit .200/.255/.318 in 28 games as a freshman. Smith was told Woodmansee was a glove-first shortstop with a light bat.

Nearly two years later, Woodmansee has become Arizona State’s three-hole hitter and a solid draft prospect. The junior earned third-team Preseason All-American honors this year, and has backed that up at the plate. In mid-May, he was hitting .295/.389/.481 with a team-high seven home runs.

Smith is pleased with Woodmansee’s development as a complete player.

“Early on when we got here, we heard his bat was weak, but he played defense,” Smith said. “He’s grown into a steady, reliable baseball player that goes about his everyday business and doesn’t get too high or get too low.”

Woodmansee’s offensive emergence began last year, when he hit .308/.355/.454 with five home runs. That earned him an invitation to USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, but he played just five games with Team USA before he suffered an elbow contusion after being hit by a pitch.

The injury sidelined Woodmansee for the rest of the CNT’s short schedule. He was disappointed at the time, but he said he now sees it as a blessing in disguise. Unable to play, he returned to Arizona State and worked in the weight room to get stronger. That added strength has allowed him to hit for more power this season.

In addition to his increased pop, Woodmansee has also worked to cut down on his strikeouts. After whiffing 39 times and drawing 20 walks in 265 plate appearances last season, he set out to bring those numbers into balance this year. Through 48 games, he had nearly accomplished that goal, having walked 27 times and struck out 28 times in 214 plate appearances.

“I want to get on base more,” Woodmansee said. “Batting average and all that stuff, you can’t control that stuff. If you hit the ball in play and it finds a hole, it finds a hole. As long as I’m getting on base, walking and not striking out, I’m happy.”

Smith said Woodmansee’s improved walk rate is a result of a more disciplined approach at the plate.

“He made some adjustments offensively in terms of his approach,” Smith said. “In the past, he had a tendency to get himself in bad counts because he didn’t have the plate discipline.”

In a weak class for college shortstops, Woodmansee’s hitting ability stands out. That, as well as his solid all-around defensive tools, pushes him toward the top of the position group.

“He’s not looking like a normal shortstop,” one crosschecker said. “His actions don’t stick out, he definitely has arm strength and there’s more thump to the bat than those other guys.”

Smith said he has never had a shortstop hit in the middle of the order before, like Woodmansee does.

“That’s why I think he’s different than a lot of shortstops, particularly in college where it’s more of a defensive position,” Smith said. “He can do that, but he can also beat you with a home run. That’s certainly a luxury that I would love to have again.”

But Woodmansee still has room for improvement defensively. Smith said Woodmansee has the versatility to play anywhere on the infield or even the outfield, and his improvement offensively gives him a chance to profile even if he were to move to a less demanding defensive position.

But Smith believes Woodmansee has the tools to play shortstop if he can refine his defense a little more.

“That’s the area he’s going to have to work on if he’s going to stick at shortstop,” Smith said. “I don’t know if that’s a result of us wanting or needing him so much on offense and deemphasizing the defensive stuff. That’s an area I think he needs to improve on. And it’s there. He’s definitely capable and it’s going to be a main focus of whatever organization takes him and finding the skill set he possesses.”

Woodmansee wants to play shortstop and is working to convince scouts that he can do it at the next level.

“I take pride in my defense, I love taking ground balls,” he said. “There’s not another shortstop taking groundballs with me in practice, so it’s a little different. I have to compete with myself internally. I’m just trying to prove to people I can play at shortstop.”

Mostly, however, Woodmansee is just trying to help the Sun Devils win games. Arizona State went through a slump at the start of Pac-12 Conference play, losing three of its first four series. But starting with a series win against then-No. 17 California, Arizona State won five straight series—including beating rival Arizona twice on the road—to vault into contention for a conference championship and to host a regional.

Woodmansee said it can be difficult to not to think about the draft, but he is confident that if he focuses on playing well and helping Arizona State achieve its goals that the draft will work out.

“Whether I get drafted in the first round, the 10th round or the 20th round, I think I’ll have a successful pro career,” Woodmansee said. “It doesn’t stick in my head that I need to get drafted in a certain spot or go high. I want to have fun here. I know there aren’t many days left at Arizona State.”