Walter Tyrone Woods (born August 16, 1969 in Brooksville, Florida) is a 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player. He played five seasons with the Korea Baseball Organization then six further seasons in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

, primarily as a

first baseman 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 ...

Career

Minor league career

Woods was the 5th pick of the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

in the 1988 MLB draft as a high school

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. He fielded .882, making 10 errors in 32 games for the

GCL Expos The Florida Complex League Nationals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Washington Nationals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Nationals. The ...

and batted just .121. He hit just 2

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 in 149 at bats and walked 7 times while whiffing 47 times; he was also caught stealing four times in six tries. Woods was promoted to the Jamestown Expos in 1989. In Single-A action, Woods hit .263; he continued to strike out frequently (58 times in 209 AB), but his walks were up (20) and his average and power (9 homers) were also improved. In 1990, with the Rockford Expos, the 20-year-old third baseman hit .242, above the team average of .226. He also led the team in doubles (27), homers (8) and strikeouts (121). His OBP was .310 and he slugged .363. Woods made it to High-A in 1991 where he hit just .220 for the

West Palm Beach Expos The West Palm Beach Expos were a Florida State League minor league baseball team which existed from 1969 through the 1997 season in West Palm Beach, Florida. History The West Palm Beach Expos were a Class A affiliate of the Montreal Expos and pla ...

. He also was moved from third base to the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

that year. He hit .291 for Rockford and even stole 15 bases in 21 tries. He hit .286 for West Palm Beach and struck out in 3 of his 4 at-bats in his first Double-A exposure with the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

. In 1993, Woods returned to Harrisburg, batting .252. A year later, Woods split the year between Harrisburg (.316) and the Triple-A

Ottawa Lynx The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal ...

(.224). On November 18, the Expos gave up on Woods and released him. Woods found a home with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

' Rochester Red Wings farm club in 1995, hitting .261 as a 1B/ DH/OF. A year later, Woods was in another system, joining 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 eigh ...

, playing for their Double-A affiliate, the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the ...

, hitting .312, tying for 4th in the league in homers (25) and was among the leaders in average, OBP and slugging. In 1997, Woods spent his 10th and final season in a United States-based league, hitting .352 for the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

. He homered 9 times and drove in 28 in 29 games but did not play for the parent Boston team. He also played that year for the Potros de Minatitlán of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

, homering 18 times in 85 games for 27 homers and 101 runs (73 RBI in 85 games for the Potros). Woods hit .342. His walk total (59) surpassed his K total (49).

Career in Korea

1998 found Woods in the KBO,

Korea Professional Baseball The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

, where he became the first foreign player to hit a home run and be ejected from a game by an umpire in the league's first year allowing foreign players. Playing for the OB Bears (Doosan Bears), he set a KBO record with 42 homers and became the first foreign player to win the

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

award. Two years later, he hit .315 with 39 homers and 111 RBI and lost the homerun race by one to Park Kyung-wan. In 2001, he won MVP honors in the All-Star game, playoffs and the

Korean Series The Korean Series is the final championship series of the KBO League. It has been held since the KBO League's first season in and is the final series of the post-season play-offs. From to 2013, the winner of the Korean Series went on to play in ...

, in which he blasted four homers in six games for Doosan. In 2002, Woods hit just .256; he struck out 123 times in 407 at-bats though he did hit 25 homers. In five years in Korea, he hit 174 homers, drove in 510 runs and batted .294. Woods left Korea with the longest career of any foreign player in KBO history until 2005, when Jay Davis broke his mark. He was nominated for one of the 40 KBO legends, the votes were cast by fans and reporters. He was nominated as the 40 out of the 40 legends.

Yokohama BayStars

Woods left the Bears to try his hand in Japan in 2003, signing with the

Yokohama BayStars The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its curren ...

, hitting .273 and tied for the home run lead with

Alex Ramirez Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...

with 40. He was 6th in the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

in slugging, 4th in walks (66) and 5th in RBI (87) though he also led the league with 132 K's. Woods became the first man to lead a league in homers in both Korea and Japan. Woods improved in his second year with Yokohama, hitting .298. He made the

Best Nine Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

at first base, tied

Tuffy Rhodes Karl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes (born August 21, 1968) is a retired American professional baseball player. He played six years in Major League Baseball in the US, and thirteen years in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. Rhodes is the all-ti ...

for the home run lead with 45, was third in walks (74) and tied for third in RBIs (103). He was also 5th in slugging and 4th in OBP and OPS. He struck out 142 times, ranking him third in that category.

Chunichi Dragons

After the 2004 season, he signed with the defending CL champion

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

and hit .306 with 38 homers. He was third in OPS and homers, 5th in slugging, 4th in OBP, tied for 4th with 103 RBI and ground into the most double plays (24) as the Dragons' 1B and cleanup hitter. Woods missed 10 games due to a suspension he served after charging the mound when Shugo Fujii threw high and inside during an at bat. Woods was also fined 500,000 yen. It was the harshest penalty given to any player in Japan in five years. After the 2005 season was completed, Woods had hit 421 homers in his pro career. In 2006, Woods put together an MVP caliber season by batting .310 with a league-leading 47 homers and 144 RBI. However, the MVP award that season went to his teammate, Kosuke Fukudome. To clinch the title for Chunichi, he hit

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

s in back-to-back games, the first Central Leaguer to do so since

Fumio Fujimura was a Japanese baseball infielder and pitcher who played 22 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 1936 to 1958. He began his career as a stellar right-handed pitcher for the Osaka Tigers, but achieved his greatest fame as a hitter. ...

53 years earlier. He also set a new team record for home runs. He played for the Dragons until 2008.

Pursuits outside baseball

In addition to playing baseball, Woods worked for a time for the Brooksville Fire Department.

References

External links

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Venezuelan League statistics

Career statistics and player information
from Korea Baseball Organization {{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Tyrone 1969 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Baseball players from Florida Chunichi Dragons players Doosan Bears players Gulf Coast Expos players Harrisburg Senators players Jamestown Expos players KBO League designated hitters KBO League first basemen KBO League Most Valuable Player Award winners Korean Series MVPs Leones del Caracas players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen Ottawa Lynx players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Brooksville, Florida Potros de Minatitlán players Rochester Red Wings players Rockford Expos players Trenton Thunder players West Palm Beach Expos players Yokohama BayStars players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople