The pitching staff down in Indianapolis has seen a lot of changes in recent weeks.
Call-ups and roster swaps with the big league club in Pittsburgh, veteran players being released and/or opting for free agency, and injuries have kicked off a massive shuffle of the Indians’ pitching, and in an effort to shore up the gaps, the organization signed several players to minor league contracts.
One of those names was Jake Woodford, who was looking for a new home after departing the Chicago White Sox franchise. The 27-year old was designated for assignment after a brief call-up to the big leagues was rather harsh.
In 2 games (8.1 innings), Woodford surrendered 10 earned runs, and was credited with the loss in both of his appearances.
Woodford, who has 193.0 innings of major league experience to his name, started this season in the minor leagues in his first year within the White Sox organization.
He pitched 10 games for their Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, going 49.2 innings and recording a 5.26 ERA in 1.389 WHIP with a K/BB ratio of 2.47.
After he cleared waivers, the righty opted for free agency rather than returning to Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights.
Woodford signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 11th, and reported to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. He was added, along with Luis Cessa, as replacements for departing names like Wily Peralta, who opted for free agency.
In his first game with Indy, Woodford went 6.0 innings, allowing 7 hits but only 2 earned runs in a 3-2 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. He tossed 82 pitches and struck out 7 batters, while not giving out any free passes.
His second game with Indy was almost just as good. Woodford went 6.0 innings again, this time against the Iowa Cubs, allowing just 1 earned run and striking out 6. Unfortunately for Woodford, his one mistake ended up being the difference, giving up a solo home run in the second inning.
Indianapolis lost 1-0, giving Woodford the loss, but he still put in some terrific work.
He has yet to issue a walk through 12.0 innings of baseball for Indy, and has amassed an ERA of 2.25. Granted, it’s an incredibly small sample size, but it is a good sign early on for a righty that has struggled this season with other teams.
It is interesting to see Woodford still being deployed as a starter, however. Obviously with the need for some more depth in Indianapolis’ rotation, Woodford has the pedigree to be a starter for the Triple-A club. In addition to that, the Indy bullpen has been lights out in recent days, evident that the bulk of their team needs are not in the back end of games.
However, if Woodford is to see big league time as a member of the Pirates organization, it should be as a bullpen arm. Over his major league career, he has performed far better as a reliever than he has as a starter. The splits don’t lie:
Not to mention, the starting pitching has continued to remain dominant for the Pirates, and they will get veteran Martin Perez back soon as well. Perez is set to become a short-term teammate of Woodford’s as he is slated to pitch in tonight’s Indians game on a rehab assignment.
Woodford will be an interesting name to monitor down on the farm, however. If he finds his form from a few years ago (which saw him put up a 4-0 record, 2.23 ERA, and 1.117 WHIP in 48.1 innings with St. Louis) then the Pirates might have found themselves a little gem in free agency.
(Featured photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today Sports)
Fifth Avenue Sports 
Leave a comment