Brandon Wood
Brandon Wood | |
---|---|
Third baseman / Shortstop | |
Born: Austin, Texas, U.S. | March 2, 1985|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 26, 2007, for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | |
Last appearance | |
September 25, 2011, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .186 |
Home runs | 18 |
Runs batted in | 64 |
Teams | |
Richard Brandon Wood (born March 2, 1985) is an American former
Playing career
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Wood was drafted by the
He spent most of the 2005 season with the Angels' High-A
Wood received several awards for his performance in 2005. Amongst his accolades were: the Joe Bauman Home Run Award,[1] the California League and Single-A Offensive Player of the Year awards, player of the year by Minor League Baseball's official website, and co-player of the year of the Angels minor league system, alongside fellow prospect Howie Kendrick.[2]
Wood was selected by the Angels to play on their
Prior to the 2006 season, Wood was ranked as the 3rd best prospect by
Wood began 2007 as a top 10 prospect by Baseball America once more, holding the 8th spot overall.[3] He changed positions however, as he slid over to third base for the other highly talented shortstop Erick Aybar. This move was made in part to accelerate his track to the majors.
Wood was called up to Angels' major league club on April 25, 2007, and made his major league debut at third base the following day against the
In the 2009 offseason, third base appeared to open up for Wood as All-Star third baseman Chone Figgins signed a four-year deal with division rivals the Seattle Mariners.[4] Wood went into Spring training, preparing for a shot at the majors. "I'm going in to spring training to win a job", he said, "That keeps you on your toes. If you think that job is yours, you might get lazy. I've got to be ready to work, rather than sitting back and saying I paid my dues, I waited for my time." He cited first baseman Kendrys Morales, who had just come off a breakout 2009 season, as a role model. The Angels' willingness to part with Figgins was in part because they had Wood waiting in Triple-A. Bill Shaikin reported, "The Angels also think that, as Wood improves his plate discipline and gains a better command of the strike zone, he will add a key power component to the lineup."[5] Wood began the season in AAA, getting called up for a couple of games at the end of April before being sent down to AAA again. He hit .195 in just 18 games.
Wood headed into the 2010 season with low optimism but ultimately began the season as the starting third baseman for the Angels. On June 27, 2010, Wood hit his first Major League grand slam off Colorado Rockies reliever Manny Corpas. He finished the season with a .146 batting average, including four home runs, in 226 official at-bats.
On April 19, 2011, Wood was designated for assignment by the Angels to accommodate Erick Aybar's activation from the disabled list.[6]
Pittsburgh Pirates
Wood was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 22.[7] In his April 25 debut for the Pirates, a home game against the Washington Nationals, Wood hit a two-run double and was part of a four-run fourth inning that gave the Pirates a 4–2 win.[8] Wood played in a career high 99 games, hitting 7 home runs with 31 RBI's but struggled to make sufficient contact, managing just a .220 average.
Later career
Wood signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on November 17, 2011. He spent nearly all the season with the Rockies Triple-A affiliate Colorado Springs, hitting 10 home runs with 64 RBIs and a batting average of .259.[9]
On November 16, 2012, the
Post-retirement revelations
In an interview with Baseball America in April 2021, Wood chronicled his mental health struggles while playing in 2010, suggesting that near-daily panic attacks undermined his ascent to a prosperous playing career in the big leagues. “I was just so light-headed. I couldn’t really breathe—I had this feeling of pure fear,” Wood said. “I have to have success here and I don’t know how I’m going to do it.” Wood chose to suffer in silence, worried that simply admitting he needed help with his mental state would be perceived poorly by manager Mike Scioscia and negatively impact his career far more than the daily panic attacks.[11]
Managerial career
Following his retirement as a player in 2015, Wood was hired to manage the
References
- ^ Diamond Leung (September 16, 2005). "Sports | Baseball | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California". PE.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ^ "Minor League Baseball: News: 2005 MiLB Awards". Minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
- ^ "2007 Top 100 Prospects". Baseball America. February 28, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
- ^ Shaikin, Bill (December 5, 2009). "Angels appear to have lost leading man Chone Figgins". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Shaikin, Bill (December 8, 2009). "Third base almost within the grasp of Angels' Brandon Wood". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Los Angeles Angels cut loose infielder Brandon Wood for Erick Aybar return". ESPN.com. April 20, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "Pirates activate former Angel Brandon Wood". Los Angeles Times. April 23, 2011. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011.
- ^ "Brandon Wood doubles in debut to help Pirates beat Nationals". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ a b Dutton, Bob (November 16, 2012). "Royals confirm four more minor-league signings". Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ a b Berg, Ted (March 30, 2016). "Former MLB megaprospect Brandon Wood begins life as a minor league manager". USA Today. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ Bandujo, Kyle. "Is Aiding Mental Health The Next Frontier Of MLB Player Development?". www.baseballamerica.com. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)