Bryan Woo: underrated Mariners pitching prospect

Bryan Woo is a 22-year-old right-handed pitching prospect in the Seattle Mariners organization. While he has a way to go before reaching the Major Leagues, his stock is rising as he continues to post impressive numbers in his first minor-league campaign.

WOO’s YOUTH BASEBALL EXPERIENCE

Woo fell in love with the game of baseball during his Little League years. He drew inspiration from his dad who also served as his coach and always helped him train and work out. Woo mainly played infield growing up. Pitching was his second option and something that he didn’t take to full-time until his junior year at Alameda High School in Alameda, CA, when his coaches needed more pitching. Woo never gave up, kept working and eventually things fell together. In fact, the West Alameda County Conference named Woo MVP after his senior high school season when he accrued a 1.25 ERA and led the Alameda High Hornets to a 27-2-1 record and the CIF-North Coast Section Division 2 championship.

COLLEGE YEARS

Colleges didn’t highly recruit the late blooming Woo until his junior and senior years in high school.  Woo played collegiately at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo), the only school that offered him a scholarship as a pitcher only (not a two-way player). In his final collegiate season (2021), Woo pitched in 10 games (two starts), striking out 42 batters in 28 innings. He went 2-2 with a 6.11 ERA and one save. Unfortunately, Woo injured his elbow pitching against Long Beach State. He underwent Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the second half of the season.

“Cal Poly was the best academic option and best baseball program out of my choice of schools. It was the perfect fit for me as it was not too far from home, my family got to come down to watch games, I loved being near the beach and I met a lot of people,” Woo said. 

EARLY PROFESSIONAL CAREER

The Mariners drafted him out of Cal Poly 174th overall in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. After an arduous Tommy John rehab process, during which he also had to recover from having his appendix removed and taking a line drive comebacker off the face, Woo finally made his professional debut in early June in the Arizona Complex League. Then Seattle assigned him to their Single-A affiliate, the Modesto Nuts. He made six starts in which he pitched 20 innings, racked up 29 strikeouts and finished with a 3.98 ERA. Woo earned a promotion to the High-A Everett Aquasox where he has a 1.26 ERA and 18 strikeouts through three starts against tougher competition.

“It has been a fun year. I am taking it day by day and not trying to get too ahead of myself. Doing a lot of talking to coaches, learning from them and other players. Not too focused on results, although it’s great that they are good. I am just trying to learn and get better every day as the minor leagues are a lot about development and growing,” Woo said when asked about his success in his first taste of the minor leagues.

While Woo is focusing on himself, he also is following the Mariners’ major league team. He hopes that they can finally end their playoff drought this season. 

He is happy to be in the Mariners’ organization and excited for the next couple of years with the team. If he manages to avoid further injuries and continues to pitch well and develop in the minor leagues, Mariners fans may see Bryan Woo as a member of their big-league rotation or bullpen in the near future.