Jason William Wood (born December 16, 1969) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player. He played all or parts of five seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) as an

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

, primarily used at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Amateur career

Wood attended

McLane High School McLane High School is a 9-12 public high school in Fresno, California, United States. Located at the corner of Cedar and Clinton, it is part of the Fresno Unified School District. Programs and activities Advance Via Individual Determination (A ...

and then

Fresno State University California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...

. Originally, Wood was drafted by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

in the 56th round (1,333rd overall) of the

1989 Major League Baseball draft First-round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft on June 5. Supplemental first round selections Other notable players * Brian Hunter, 2nd round, 35th overall by the Houston Astros * Ti ...

. Opting not to sign with the Blue Jays, he was then drafted by the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

in the 39th round (1,009th overall) in the

1990 Major League Baseball draft The 1990 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft was held in June 1990. The draft placed amateur baseball players onto major league teams. 1,487 players were distributed to 26 teams. The draft consisted of first round selections, supplemental first ...

, but decided to continue at Fresno State. Finally, after being drafted by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

in the 11th round (308th overall) of the

1991 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1991 Major League Baseball draft. Supplemental first round selections Compensation picks Other notable players *Kevin Stocker, 2nd round, 54th overall by the Philade ...

, he signed.

Professional career

Oakland Athletics

Wood, who had fair power, started off his professional career by playing in the minor leagues for seven seasons from 1991 to 1997. In 1994, he was a Southern League All-Star. He had a breakout minor league season in 1997 when he played for the Triple-A

Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. The ...

. That year, he played in 130 games, batted .321 with 19

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 87 RBI. His 1997 minor league season included helping the Trappers win the

Pacific Coast League championship The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball. A champion has been determined at the end of each season since the league ...

. He was released on October 17 the same year, but re-signed with the Athletics organization ten days later on October 27. In 1998, Wood made the Athletics' Opening Day roster. He made his major league debut at the age of 28 against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

on April 1, 1998, as a defensive replacement. About a week into the season, he was sent down to Triple-A.

Detroit Tigers

On July 18, 1998, he was sent to the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

as the player to be named later in the deal that sent

Bip Roberts Leon Joseph "Bip" Roberts (born October 27, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman and outfielder who played from 1986 to 1998 for the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tig ...

to the Athletics on June 23, 1998. Once acquired, he was sent to Triple-A to play with the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. He was recalled in September by the big league club when rosters expanded. On September 9, 1998, he made his first career start against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

as the

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

. He collected his first career

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

, which was a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

against

Jim Parque James Vo Parque ( ; born February 8, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Parque played for the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Devil Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) from to . Career Amateur career High school Jim Parq ...

. Overall, he played in a total of 13 games and batted .333 (8–24) with 1 home run in 1998. In 1999, Wood bounced around between the minors and majors in the Tigers organization. He played in 27 games at the major league level and batted just .159 (7–44) with 1 home run. Following the season, he was released on October 15.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On November 17, 1999, he signed with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. He played for the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

for the whole 2000 season. He just batted .237 with 7 home runs in 88 games. He returned to the Pirates organization for the 2001 season. He played for the Sounds for the entire season again and his performance was not much better than the previous season. He was released following the 2001 season.

Florida Marlins

Wood signed a contract with the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

on March 8, 2002. He played for the Triple-A

Calgary Cannons The Calgary Cannons were a minor league baseball team located in Calgary, Alberta, for 18 seasons, from 1985 until 2002. They were a member of the AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL) and played at Foothills Stadium. The Cannons displaced the Calgary ...

for the entire 2002 season. Despite playing in 121 games in which he batted .315 (144–457) with 15 home runs, 70 RBI and making the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

postseason All-Star team, he did not join the major league club at all throughout the year, even in September when rosters expanded. From 2003 to 2005, Wood played the entire seasons in the Marlins organization with the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an el ...

. He batted .296 in 2003, .245 in 2004, and .301 in 2005. In 2006, Wood once again began the season with the Albuquerque Isotopes. He played with the Isotopes for the entire 2006 minor league season. He batted .288 (127–441) with 11 home runs and 77 RBI in 123 games. The Marlins purchased his contract on September 5 following the conclusion of the minor league season. Wood had returned to the major leagues after a six-year absence. On September 9, against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, he recorded his first major league hit since 1999 when he was with the Detroit Tigers. Overall in the majors in 2006, Wood played in 12 games, mainly as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

. He batted .462 (6–13). Wood was released by the Marlins following the 2006 season, but re-signed with them on January 4, 2007. He had signed a minor league contract that included an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. In spring training, he finished strong, batting .378 (17–45) with 2 home runs in 22 games. This prompted the Marlins to purchase his contract on April 1, 2007, before the regular season began. The Marlins had purchased Wood's contract despite him being a 37-year-old player with barely any major league experience (52 games in parts of 3 different seasons in 16 professional seasons). Wood stayed on the active roster for the whole 2007 season and was mainly used as a pinch hitter. Wood played in 98 games in 2007 and batted .239 with 3 home runs. On April 5, 2008, Wood was designated for assignment by the Marlins to open a roster spot for the recently re-acquired

Wes Helms Wesley Ray Helms (born May 12, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. During his 13-year playing career, Helms played for the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins, and Philadelphia Phillies. He played primarily ...

. He spent the rest of the season, his final as a professional, back with the Isotopes.

Pitching

Wood pitched a total of three innings in his professional career. Two came in 1996 while in the minor leagues. On June 29, 2007, Wood pitched one inning of perfect relief in a 12–3 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

Coaching career

On October 31, 2008, Wood was announced as the hitting instructor for the

Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchis ...

in the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

organization, however, he was named the hitting coach for

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

in the Texas Rangers organization on December 29, 2008, and served in that role through the 2010 season. He served as the manager of the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

from 2011 through the 2013 season. He was the manager of the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are nam ...

of the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

for the 2014 season. He served as the manager of the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

of the Triple-A

from 2015 through the 2018 season. In 2019, he became the manager of the

of the Triple-A

, when they became a Rangers affiliate prior to that season. Wood was released by Texas following the 2019 season.

Personal life

Wood currently lives in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

. He has three daughters.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Jason 1969 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from California Calgary Cannons players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Detroit Tigers players Edmonton Trappers players Florida Marlins players Fresno City Rams baseball players Fresno State Bulldogs baseball players Huntsville Stars players Lakeland Tigers players Major League Baseball first basemen Minor league baseball coaches Modesto A's players Nashville Sounds managers Nashville Sounds players Oakland Athletics players Southern Oregon A's players Sportspeople from San Bernardino, California Baseball players from San Bernardino County, California Toledo Mud Hens players Anchorage Glacier Pilots players