Tyrone Woods (born August 16, 1969 in
Brooksville, FloridaBrooksville is an incorporated city in Hernando County, Florida, in the United States. It is the county seat of Hernando County. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St...
) is a Nippon Professional Baseball
first basemanFirst base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team. A first baseman is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest first base, and is responsible for the...
who is currently a
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
. He was the 5th pick of the
Montreal ExposThe Montreal Expos is the name of a Major League Baseball team that was located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 until the end of the 2004 season, when the team was moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals....
in the MLB draft as a high school
third basemanA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
. His debut year showed no indication of the heights he would reach as a pro player. He fielded .882, making 10
errorsIn baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance should have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term...
in 32 games for the GCL Expos and
battedBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
just .121. He hit just 2
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring runs for himself and each runner who was already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play...
s in 149 at-bats and
walkedA base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
7 times while
whiffingIn baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters. Pitchers with a greater number of strikeouts are often praised, while batters with a greater number of...
47 times.
Tyrone Woods (born August 16, 1969 in
Brooksville, FloridaBrooksville is an incorporated city in Hernando County, Florida, in the United States. It is the county seat of Hernando County. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St...
) is a Nippon Professional Baseball
first basemanFirst base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team. A first baseman is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest first base, and is responsible for the...
who is currently a
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
. He was the 5th pick of the
Montreal ExposThe Montreal Expos is the name of a Major League Baseball team that was located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 until the end of the 2004 season, when the team was moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals....
in the MLB draft as a high school
third basemanA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
. His debut year showed no indication of the heights he would reach as a pro player. He fielded .882, making 10
errorsIn baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance should have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term...
in 32 games for the GCL Expos and
battedBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
just .121. He hit just 2
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring runs for himself and each runner who was already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play...
s in 149 at-bats and
walkedA base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
7 times while
whiffingIn baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters. Pitchers with a greater number of strikeouts are often praised, while batters with a greater number of...
47 times. He was also
caught stealingIn baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate. In baseball statistics, stolen bases are denoted by SB...
four times in six tries, completing the struggles defensively, offensively and on the basepaths.
Woods was promoted to the Jamestown Expos in . In Single-A, Woods hit .263; he continued to strike out frequently (58 times in 209 AB), but his walks were up (20) and his average and power (9 homers) were also improved. In , Woods regressed. With the Rockford Expos, the 20-year-old third baseman hit just .242, but it was still well above the team average (.226). He also led the team in
doublesIn baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(27), homers (8) and strikeouts (121). His OBP was about .310 and he
sluggedIn baseball statistics, slugging percentage is a popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats:...
.363. Woods made it to High-A in and he hit just .220 for the
West Palm Beach ExposThe West Palm Beach Expos were a Florida State League major league baseball team that existed from 1969 to 1997. Located in West Palm Beach, Florida, they were affiliated with the Montreal Expos and they played their home games at West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium. They were one of the longest...
, which was still tolerable in a pitching-friendly environment. He also was moved from third base to the
outfieldThe outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
that year.
was a busy year for Woods. He hit .291 for Rockford and even stole 15 bases in 21 tries. He hit .286 for West Palm Beach and struck out in 3 of his 4 at-bats in his first Double-A exposure with the
Harrisburg SenatorsThe Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The Senators play in Metro Bank Park, located on City Island in Harrisburg; originally opened in 1987 as...
.
In , Woods returned to Harrisburg and at age 23 did fine for his age at Double-A, batting .252, playing a solid supporting role on one of the greatest Double-A teams in modern minor league history. A year later, Woods split the year between Harrisburg (.316) and the Triple-A
Ottawa LynxThe Ottawa Lynx was a minor league baseball team that formerly competed in the Triple-A International League from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over the team's 15 seasons, it was the Triple-A Minor League affiliate of the Montreal Expos , Baltimore...
(.224). On November 18, the Expos gave up on Woods and released him.
Woods found a home with the
Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , the Orioles have played their home games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The "Orioles" name refers to the official state...
'
Rochester Red WingsThe Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The oldest and longest running minor league franchise in the history of professional sports, the team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club...
farm club in and hit .261 as a 1B/
DHIn baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
/OF. A year later, Woods was in another system, joining the
Boston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since , the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. The "Red Sox" name originates from the iconic uniform feature....
and playing for the
Trenton ThunderThe Trenton Thunder are an American Minor League Baseball team and are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Thunder play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League, and are the two-time defending league champions...
. At 26, he was getting old for a prospect, but he had his best year yet, hitting .312, though he was outshown by his teammate, another long-time minor-leaguer,
Adam HyzduAdam Davis Hyzdu is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball...
. He tied for 5th in the league in homers (25) and was among the leaders in average, OBP and slugging.
In , Woods spent his 10th and final season in a
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based league. He knocked the cover off the ball in Triple-A with the
Pawtucket Red SoxThe Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
hitting .352. He homered 9 times and drove in 28 in 29 games but didn't play for the parent Boston team. He also played that year for the Minatitlan Potros of the Mexican League, homering 18 times in 85 games for 27 homers that year and 101 runs (73 RBI in 85 games for the Potros). Woods hit .342. His walk total (59) had now surpassed his K total (49).
found Woods in the Korea Baseball Organization at the relatively young age of 28. He became the first foreign player to hit a home run and the first to be ejected from a game by an umpire in the league's first year integrating outsiders. Playing for the
Doosan BearsThe Doosan Bears are a professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. The Bears are a member of the Korean Baseball Organization....
, he set a new KBO record with 42 homers and won the MVP award. As of , he is the only foreigner to have won the Korea Baseball Organization MVP. Two years later, he hit .315 with 39 homers and 111 RBI and lost the home run race by one to
Park Kyung-wanPark Kyung-Wan is a South Korean baseball player who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics....
. He had another big year in , winning MVP honors in the All-Star game, playoffs and
Korean SeriesThe Korean Series is the championship series of the Korea Baseball Organization. It has been held since the KBO's first season in and is the final series of in the post-season play-offs. From , the winner of the Korean Series goes on to play in the Asia Series....
, in which be blasted 4 homers in 6 games for Doosan. In , Woods started slowly and hit just .256; he struck out 123 times in 407 AB though he did blast 25 homers. Overall in five years in Korea, he hit 174 homers, driven in 510 and batted .294. Woods left Korea with the longest career of any foreign player in the history of the KBO. In , Jay Davis broke his mark.
Woods left the Bears to try his hand in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in , signing with the
Yokohama BayStarsThe are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
. Nippon Pro Baseball fans were quite critical of the move, alleging that Woods was on the decline and citing other KBO stars who had done little in Japan. Woods proved the skeptics to wrong as he hit .273 and tied for the home run lead with
Alex RamirezAlexander Ramón Ramírez is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who currently plays for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates...
with 40. He was 6th in the
Central LeagueThe or is one of Japan's two major professional baseball leagues, the winner of which plays the Japan Series against the winner of the other league, the Pacific League....
in slugging, 4th in walks (66) and 5th in RBI (87) though he also led the league with 132 K's. Woods became the first man to lead a league in homers in both Korea and Japan.
Woods improved in his second year with Yokohama, hitting .298. He made the Best Nine at first base, tied
Tuffy RhodesKarl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes is a professional baseball player, currently playing his 11th season of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan...
for the home run lead with 45, was third in walks (74) and tied for third in RBIs (103). He was also 5th in slugging and 4th in OBP and OPS. He struck out 142 times, which ranked him third in that category.
After the season, he signed with the defending CL champion
Chunichi DragonsThe are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and Konami Cup Asia Series 2007.- History :...
and hit .306 with 38 homers. He was third in
OPSOn-base plus slugging is a baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The abilities of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented, making it an effective way of measuring the player's...
and homers, 5th in slugging, 4th in OBP, tied for 4th with 103 RBI and ground into the most
double playIn baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action...
s (24) as the Dragons' 1B and cleanup hitter. Woods missed 10 games due to a suspension he served after charging the mound when Shugo Fujii threw high and inside during an at-bat. Woods was also fined 500,000 yen. It was the harshest penalty given to any player in Japan in five years.
After the season was completed, Woods had hit 421 homers in his pro career.
In , Woods put together an MVP caliber season by batting .310 with a league-leading 47 homers and 144 RBI. However, the MVP award that season went to his teammate,
Kosuke Fukudome"Fukudome" redirects here. For information on the WWII admiral, see Shigeru Fukudome. is a center fielder for the Chicago Cubs.Prior to arriving in the United States, Fukudome played nine seasons for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League...
. To clinch the title for Chunichi, he hit
grand slamIn the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all the bases occupied by baserunners, thereby scoring four runs - the most possible on a single play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
s in back-to-back games, the first Central Leaguer to do so since
Fumio Fujimurawas a right-handed pitcher for the Osaka Tigers in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.In the 1933 National High School Baseball Championship, his team reached the quarterfinals but his opponent Masao Yoshida pitched a shutout in the game. In the final of 1934 National High School Baseball...
53 years earlier. He also set a new team record for home runs. He played for the Dragons until 2008.
In addition to playing baseball, Woods worked for a time for the Brooksville Fire Department.