Elwood B. Huyke (born September 28, 1937 in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

) is a minor league baseball player,

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. Huyke played for the

Hastings Giants The Hastings Giants was the final nickname of the minor league baseball teams, based in Hastings, Nebraska between 1887 and 1959. The Hastings Giants played in the short-season Class D level Nebraska State League from 1956 to 1959. Earlier Hasti ...

, a

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

minor league affiliate, in 1959. He played for the

Monterrey Sultanes The Sultanes de Monterrey ( en, Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monterrey, Mexico. They compete in the Northern Division. The team also joined the Mexican Pacific League for the 2019–20 season ...

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 ...

in 1960. Huyke also played for the

Puerto Rico national baseball team The Puerto Rico national baseball team ( es, Selección de béisbol de Puerto Rico) is the national baseball team of Puerto Rico. The men's senior team is currently ranked 13th in the world. Puerto Rico is the incumbent Baseball at the 2019 Pan ...

in the

1960 Caribbean Series The twelfth edition of the Caribbean Series (''Serie del Caribe'') was a baseball tournament held from February 10 through February 15, 1960 featuring the champion teams from Cuba (Cienfuegos), Panama (Marlboro), Puerto Rico (Caguas) and Venezuel ...

. Huyke played in the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics system from 1961 through 1968, and for 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 ...

system from 1969 until he retired after the 1973 season. He was featured in an article in the June 14, 1971, issue of ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine. In 1974, Huyke began his managerial career. He managed in the Pirates' organization from 1974 through 1989, and 1990 through 2004. He voluntarily stepped down as manager after the 2004 season, remaining with the

Gulf Coast League Pirates The Florida Complex League Pirates are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The team plays its h ...

as a coach. One of Woody's early successes, in 1989, was identifying

Tim Wakefield Timothy Stephen Wakefield (born August 2, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Wakefield began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is most remembered for his 17-yea ...

's potential as a knuckleball pitcher (at the time, Wakefield was a light-hitting first baseman) and convincing the

organization not to release him. In 2010, Huyke won the

Mike Coolbaugh Award The Mike Coolbaugh Award is presented annually by Minor League Baseball to recognize "an individual who has shown an outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game, and skill in mentoring young players on the field." It is usually awarde ...

for his mentoring of minor league players.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Huyke, Woody 1937 births Living people Minor league baseball managers Hastings Giants players Shreveport Sports players Portsmouth-Norfolk Tides players Lewiston Broncs players Binghamton Triplets players Dallas Rangers players Birmingham Barons players Vancouver Mounties players Columbus Jets players Waterbury Pirates players Sherbrooke Pirates players Salem Pirates players Puerto Rican baseball players Sportspeople from San Juan, Puerto Rico