Bryan Woo

Bryan Joseph Woo, born on January 30, 2000, made a significant mark in American professional baseball as a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. His career in major league baseball kicked off in 2023. Woo’s backstory is deeply rooted in Alameda, California, where he enjoyed a successful High School baseball journey at Alameda High School. His time in High School was decorated with remarkable stats that marked the start of his impressive baseball career.

Woo firmly put his footprints on the baseball field as a senior in 2018, where he went 8-2 with a triumphant 1.25 earned run average (ERA) and .422 hitting. This performance was a testament to his talent and growing mastery of the game. His excellent execution bore accolades that moved beyond local records to the Alaska Baseball League where he played with the Peninsula Oilers the subsequent summer.

Post high school, Woo transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, continuing his baseball journey as a pitcher for the Cal Poly Mustangs. However, his freshman year in 2019 remained somewhat underwhelming, delivering an 8.75 ERA over a total of around 23 innings. The Mustang’s pitcher returned to the field to play for the Peninsula Oilers that summer but his budding career had a stumbling block the following year. The global outbreak of COVID-19 led to the cancellation of the 2020 college baseball season when Woo had only pitched about 17 innings.

In 2021, this determined pitcher returned to record a 6.11 ERA over 28 innings before plunging into the challenges of Tommy John surgery, a well-known adversity for baseball pitchers. This major medical intervention led to his absence from a significant part of the season that year.

Despite these setbacks, Woo confirmed his place in MLB when he was selected by the Seattle Mariners. The sixth round saw Woo as the 174th overall selection of the MLB draft in 2021. Following his selection, Woo signed a contract with the Mariners for a reported $318,200, a figure slightly above the $286,500 slot value of the Mariners’ pick.

In 2022, Woo began his professional excursion with the Arizona Complex League Mariners. He subsequently advanced to the Low-A Modesto Nuts and High-A Everett AquaSox within the same season. Across the three clubs, Woo mastered 16 starts, concluding with a 1–4 record, an ERA of 4.11, and 84 strikeouts in 57 innings. His commendable performance led to his selection to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas post-season.

The dawn of 2023 saw Bryan assigned to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers where he tallied a 3-2 record, and a 2.05 ERA over nine starts. He also marked a record of 59 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched. This culminated to an announcement on June 2, 2023, by the Mariners, revealing Woo’s promotion to the major leagues. However, his debut was marked with a shaky start against the Texas Rangers, where he allowed six runs within two innings, reflecting on his initial struggles at the dawn of his major league career.

Woo completed his rookie major league season with a 4–5 record, boasting a 4.21 ERA and 92 strikeouts within 87 innings. The subsequent season in 2024 witnessed some hurdles as he started on the injured list, due to elbow inflammation. He made a resilient comeback in May, paving his path with a 1.07 ERA in his first six starts, the lowest in the history of the Mariners franchise. However, an unfortunate hamstring injury pulled him back into the injured list by the end of June, allowing him to return only in July.

Born to parents Clayton and Hilary Woo, Bryan’s passion for baseball runs deep from his childhood, as indicated by his affinity towards the San Francisco Giants. His favorite player from the get-go was Brandon Crawford, reflecting Woo’s early understanding and respect for great baseball pitchers, truly setting him on his path to baseball stardom.