Jake Woodford

Jake Woodford

27-Year-Old PitcherSP
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Woodford has operated in a swingman role for the Cardinals during his three seasons, drawing the occasional spot start but mostly being reserved for long relief. He's been reasonably effective in both roles, most recently putting up a 2.23 ERA across 27 appearances - one start - in 2022. Woodford's already-low strikeout rate bottomed out to just 12.8 percent last season, but he combated that with a career-high 52 percent ground ball rate and he continued to do a good job throwing strikes. It's possible the right-hander could carve out some single-league value if he garners more than a few starts, but he looks to be pretty far down the rotation pecking order again. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#596
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals in March of 2023. Released by the Cardinals in November of 2023.
Hits free agency
PFree Agent  
November 17, 2023
Woodford was non-tendered by the Cardinals on Friday.
ANALYSIS
Woodford, 27, will head into free agency after registering a rough 6.23 ERA and 29:22 K:BB over 47.2 innings (eight starts, seven relief appearances) this past season with St. Louis.
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Pitching Stats
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2023
2022
2021
2020
2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
61
Last 10 Games
47
Last 5 Games
51
How many pitches does Jake Woodford generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Jake Woodford generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-24%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-11%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-21%
BAA vs RHP
2021
 
 
-34%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2021vs Left .318 299 39 20 85 12 3 11
Since 2021vs Right .241 404 64 38 85 19 2 8
2023vs Left .333 108 12 8 32 5 1 6
2023vs Right .296 114 17 14 29 8 1 5
2022vs Left .292 55 6 5 14 2 0 0
2022vs Right .232 133 18 6 29 5 1 1
2021vs Left .317 136 21 7 39 5 2 5
2021vs Right .208 157 29 18 27 6 0 2
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-19%
ERA on Road
2023
 
 
-30%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-74%
ERA at Home
2021
 
 
-29%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2021Home 4.60 1.49 76.1 5 5 0 5.8 3.7 1.5
Since 2021Away 3.71 1.31 87.1 4 2 0 5.6 2.8 0.6
2023Home 7.06 1.88 29.1 2 2 0 4.9 4.6 2.8
2023Away 4.91 1.53 18.1 0 1 0 6.4 3.4 1.0
2022Home 0.86 0.90 21.0 2 0 0 4.7 2.1 0.4
2022Away 3.29 1.28 27.1 2 0 0 4.3 2.0 0.0
2021Home 4.85 1.54 26.0 1 3 0 7.6 3.8 1.0
2021Away 3.46 1.22 41.2 2 1 0 6.0 3.0 0.9
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Jake Woodford compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
1.32
 
K/9
5.5
 
BB/9
4.2
 
HR/9
2.1
 
Fastball
92.1 mph
 
ERA
6.23
 
WHIP
1.74
 
BABIP
.322
 
GB/FB
2.15
 
Left On Base
72.5%
 
Exit Velocity
84.3 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
7.2%
 
Spin Rate
2195 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
31.5%
 
Swinging Strike
6.4%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jake Woodford See More
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Friday, Sept. 29
71 days ago
Chris Bennett is keying on the Rangers bats Friday in another important game up in Seattle.
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Friday September 29
71 days ago
For the regular season's final Friday slate, Chris Morgan likes Bobby Witt at home against lefty Yankee pitcher Carlos Rodon.
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
76 days ago
Jan Levine concludes his column for the season with a look at the remaining schedule while offering potential stash candidates.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2016
Woodford came up in the minors as a starting pitcher, but he is best suited for a reserve role as he finds most of his success in short bursts. His very average stuff and lack of an offspeed pitch are what ultimately make him a long reliever if he should stick in the big leagues. He tops out at 93 mph and throws both a curveball and a slider, and a changeup which makes an appearance every so often. The knuckle-curve he throws has some decent shape to it, so it is his de facto changeup, yet the righty was punished by same-handed hitters in his major-league debut despite a repertoire that portends the opposite outcome. He needs more velocity or a true changeup for his career path to change.
The 39th overall pick in last year’s draft impressed in 26.1 innings with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. Woodford, a 6-foot-4 righty, compiled a 2.39 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in eight appearances (five starts). He was only asked to face hitters a second time in his last four outings of the season, but in those 18 innings he allowed just one run with 17 strikeouts, so it seems he was up for the challenge of going deeper into games. The scouting report suggested he could touch 94 on his fastball coming out of high school, but that his secondary pitches needed some work. His initial success suggests his slider and/or changeup may have been a bit undersold, and that his command is already at least average. However, a full-season look, perhaps in the second half of 2016, will offer a better indication of Woodford’s long-term upside.
More Fantasy News
Optioned to FCL
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
September 30, 2023
The Cardinals optioned Woodford to the Florida Complex League on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
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Crushed in short outing
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
September 29, 2023
Woodford (2-3) took the loss Friday after yielding seven runs on six hits and a walk over 1.2 innings in a 19-2 loss to the Reds. He failed to strike out a batter.
ANALYSIS
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Draws another start
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
September 29, 2023
Woodford is scheduled to start Friday's game against the Reds at Busch Stadium.
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Turns in short start Saturday
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
September 23, 2023
Woodford allowed a run on four hits and two walks while striking out one over 3.2 innings in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Padres in 11 innings. He didn't factor into the decision.
ANALYSIS
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Slated to start Saturday
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
September 23, 2023
The Cardinals list Woodford as their probable starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Padres in San Diego.
ANALYSIS
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