FINAL GRADES: Bryan Woo Took Massive Steps In His Second Year Despite Injuries
The Seattle Mariners this season boasted the best starting rotation in baseball.
The starters had far and away the most quality starts in the league this season with 92. That was 12 more than the team with the second-most the Philadelphia Phillies.
And as much as 2023 All-Stars Luis Castillo and George Kirby and 2024 All-Star Logan Gilbert have rightfully received their flowers, it was the emergence of two second-year hurlers that made the rotation the elite of the elite.
Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo both put together All-Star caliber seasons for Seattle and were among the better pitchers in the league during the second half of the season.
Woo's evolution during the latter half of the year in particular was impressive considering what he dealt with in the first half.
Woo started the season on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation and had another stint on the 15-day IL from June 25-July 12 with a right hamstring strain.
Bryan Woo by the numbers:
Games started: 22
Pitching Stats: 2.89 ERA, 22 appearances (22 starts), 9-3 Record, 121.1 IP, 101 strikeouts, 0.90 WHIP, 10 QS, .211 opp. BA, 2.3 WAR
Advanced Pitching Stats: 2.72 xERA, .224 xBA, 29.6% chase, 23.5% whiff, 21.4% strikeout, 3.40 FIP, 7.49 K/9, 76.8% LOB
What I liked
Probably the most impressive part about Woo's amazing second half of the season, aside from the fact he fought through two injuries to get to that point, was the fact that he did it with mainly one pitch.
Woo threw 1,716 pitches in 2024 according to Baseball Savant. Of those throws, 840 of them were his four-seam fastball. He threw his heater at a 49% clip.
Bryan Woo's 6th and 7th Ks. pic.twitter.com/YjsnB80ASj
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 25, 2024
Woo has off-speed pitches in his arsenal. But most of them he's still developing. According to Baseball Savant, he threw his sinker 23% of the time, his slider at a 9.6% clip, his changeup 9.4% and his sweeper at a rate of 9.1%.
What makes Woo's fastball devastating isn't his velocity. He averages 94.8 MPH on his fastball, which puts him in the 62nd percentile of the league.
Woo's low-quarter arm slot helps give his fastball a low-riding motion sometimes and a rising motion, as well. Instead of forcing himself to go to off-speed throws that weren't as effective or still in progress, Woo relied on his mechanics to get his four-seamer past batters. And if it didn't result in a strikeout, it often resulted in weak contact.
Best game
There's not really much debate which game was Woo's best. It was his near-bid at perfection.
In his start against the San Diego Padres on Sept. 11, Woo went 6.1 innings without giving up a free base, a hit or a run.
With some custom Ric Flair cleats (the famous wrestler who had the signature catchphrase "Woo"), Woo struck out five batters and was 5.2 innings away from becoming the second pitcher in franchise history to throw a perfect game after Felix Hernandez threw the last one in 2012.
Bryan Woo's 3rd and 4th Ks thru 4. pic.twitter.com/PvNiz29ZgL
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 12, 2024
Padres franchise star Fernando Tatis Jr. ended Woo's bid at perfection with a solo home run to left field. But for more than six innings, Woo looked like he was going to etch his name in franchise history.
Future prospects
As great as Woo's season was, there's still room to improve.
Woo's secondary pitches are still a work in progress. His fastball is clearly effective. If he stays healthy and can dedicate a full offseason and spring training to developing his off-speed throws, then he might meet his All-Star potential as soon as next season.
It could also help his strikeout numbers. There's a .51 difference between his ERA (2.89) and FIP (3.40). If he can generate some more whiffs and get more batters to chase with an expanded arsenal, then that margin between his FIP and ERA will likely become less and less.
Final Grade: B-plus
The only thing preventing Woo from getting an "A" grade is two things: health and strikeouts.
I mentioned the difference between his ERA and FIP earlier. Beyond that, his strikeouts-per-nine-innings (7.49) was the lowest in the starting rotation.
Woo also needs to prove he can stay healthy. In just two major league seasons, Woo's been on the 15-day IL three separate times.
The Mariners were one game away from the playoffs. And it's unfair to place any of the blame on Woo or any other starting pitcher. But as the old saying goes, the best ability is availability. And Seattle's postseason fate has come down to the last week of the season each of the last four years. Health is paramount for a team that tends to ride the edge more than its fan base would like it to.
Woo is already a great pitcher. If health permits and if his off-speed throws develop by next season, he'll be an elite one.
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