Jake Woodford

Jacob Robert Woodford (born October 28, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his MLB debut in 2020 with the Cardinals.

Amateur career

Woodford graduated from Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, where he played baseball and was teammates with Kyle Tucker. As a senior at Plant, Woodford was 7–0 with a 0.67 ERA. He committed to the University of Florida to play college baseball. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 39th overall pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft and signed, forgoing his commitment to Florida.

Professional career

Woodford made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Cardinals and spent all of 2015 there, pitching to a 1–0 record and a 2.39 ERA in eight games. He spent the 2016 season with the Peoria Chiefs where was named a Midwest League All-Star and posted a 5–5 record with a 3.31 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 21 starts, and 2017 with the Palm Beach Cardinals, where he went 7–6 with a 3.10 ERA in 23 games (21 starts). Woodford was a non-roster invitee to 2018 spring training.

Woodford began the 2018 season with the Springfield Cardinals, with whom he was named a Texas League All-Star, and was promoted to the Memphis Redbirds during the season. In 16 starts for Springfield he compiled a 3–8 record with a 5.22 ERA, and in 12 starts for Memphis he was 5–5 with a 4.50 ERA. He returned to Memphis to begin 2019, earning Pacific Coast League All-Star honors. Over 26 starts for Memphis, Woodford went 9–8 with a 4.15 ERA, striking out 131 batters over 151+2⁄3 innings. Woodford was added to St. Louis' 40–man roster following the 2019 season.

On July 28, 2020, Woodford was promoted to the major leagues. On August 15, he made his major league debut against the Chicago White Sox, pitching three innings, giving up one earned run and striking out three. For the 2020 season, Woodford went 1-0 with a 5.57 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 21 innings.

In 2021, Woodford worked mainly as a reliever but also started 8 games in the second half. He went 3-4 with a 3.99 ERA and 50 strikeouts over 67+2⁄3 innings.

Woodford spent 2022 being recalled and optioned multiple times from the Memphis Redbirds, appearing in 11 games with the Redbirds (10 starts) and 27 games (1 start) with the Cardinals, where he went 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA across 48+1⁄3 innings.

He was reassigned to the minor leagues on October 9, 2022, and activated by the Cardinals again on January 17, 2023. On November 17, 2023 Woodford was non-tendered by the Cardinals.

On January 10, 2024, Woodford signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. In 10 starts for the Triple–A Charlotte Knights, he recorded a 5.26 ERA with 42 strikeouts across 49+2⁄3 innings pitched. On May 28, Woodford was selected to the active roster following an injury to Mike Clevinger. In two starts for Chicago, he surrendered 10 runs on 15 hits with seven strikeouts across 8+1⁄3 innings. On June 7, Woodford was designated for assignment. He elected free agency after clearing waivers on June 9.

On June 10, 2024, Woodford signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 7 starts for the Triple–A Indianapolis Indians, he recorded a 2.29 ERA with 37 strikeouts over 35+1⁄3 innings pitched. On July 30, the Pirates selected Woodford's contract, adding him to their active roster. In 6 games (4 starts) for Pittsburgh, he struggled to an 0–4 record and 6.95 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 22 innings of work. On August 26, Woodford was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Indianapolis on August 28. However, Woodford rejected the assignment and elected free agency the following day. On September 2, he re–signed with the team on a minor league contract. Woodford was selected to the major league roster on September 18. In a spot start against the St. Louis Cardinals, he pitched 4+2⁄3 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits with 5 strikeouts. Woodford was designated for assignment by the Pirates the following day. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Indianapolis on September 22. Woodford elected free agency on October 2.