#487 Woody Woodward - Milwaukee Braves

William Frederick Woodward
Milwaukee Braves
Second Base-Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  180
Born:  September 23, 1942, Miami, FL
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent, June 15, 1963
Major League Teams:  Milwaukee Braves 1963-1965; Atlanta Braves 1966-1968; Cincinnati Reds 1968-1971

Woody Woodward appeared in nine big league seasons as a light-hitting middle infielder, and would later serve as the general manager for the Yankees, Phillies and Mariners.  Woodward became the regular shortstop for the Braves in 1965 and would move to second base in 1966 when Denis Menke (#327) returned from a knee injury.  He'd appear in a career-high 144 games in 1966 and come close to that total in 1967 with 136 games, again as the Braves' regular second baseman.  He led all National League second baseman in fielding percentage with a .982 mark in 1967.  Traded to the Reds in June 1968, Woodward would serve as a back-up infielder for the club through the 1971 season.  He started two games of the 1970 World Series for the Reds at shortstop, and appeared in four games overall, batting .200 (1 for 5).  The Orioles would defeat the Reds in five games.  For his career, Woodward batted .236 and his one career home run came on July 10, 1970 off the Braves' Ron Reed.

From the 1988 Phillies Media Guide

Woodward served as head baseball coach at Florida State University, his alma mater, between 1975 and 1978.  He worked in the front offices of the Reds and Yankees after that, and was named the Yankees general manager in October 1986.  He resigned after just a year at the position and was hired in the same capacity by the Phillies in October 1987.  Woodward's stint with the Phillies surprisingly ended after only six months.  He found his most success as the GM for the Mariners between 1988 and 1999, as his club made the playoffs twice.  Woodward oversaw the drafts resulting in the selection of Alex Rodriguez, Jason Varitek, Bret Boone and Raul Ibanez, and he acquired Randy Johnson from the Expos in 1989.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #517

This is the 33rd of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March.  We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room.  Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders.  Much to my pleasant surprise, they had.  This Woodward card was a surprisingly pricey $8 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.

Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October.  It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.

The Card / Braves Team Set
Woodward wore #14 with the Braves and his jersey number is peaking through on his back here.  This is his first solo card, as he shared a Rookie Stars card in the 1964 Topps set with pitcher Jack Smith.  The back of the card highlights his golf game, as well as his versatility in the infield.

1965 Season
Woodward began the season with the Triple-A Atlanta Crackers, and he'd appear in 37 games in his final action in the minor leagues.  He was batting .245 when Menke landed on the disabled list, and Woodward was recalled to the majors.  He batted just .208 over 112 games, making 92 starts at shortstop but was often lifted in favor of a pinch-hitter when needed.

Phillies Connection
Woodward was named Vice President, Player Personnel (essentially the general manager) on October 28, 1987, shortly after resigning his position with the Yankees.  In his very short tenure with the Phillies, he signed free agents Bob Dernier, David Palmer, Bill Dawley and Greg Harris.  He traded Michael Jackson and Glenn Wilson to the Mariners for Phil Bradley and Tim Fortugno on December 9, 1987.  His other big trade was to send Keith Hughes, Rick Schu and Jeff Stone to the Orioles on March 21, 1988, for Mike Young and Frank Bellino.  This passage from his SABR biography sums up his short Phillies tenure, with some telling quotes from Woodward himself:

“Here’s a team with one of the highest payrolls in the major leagues ($13.7 million), and they lose three in a row to a team (Pittsburgh) whose payroll is $6 million.  I’ve seen veteran players make inexcusable mistakes.  A veteran pitcher doesn’t cover first (base), balls go through the infield like water through a sieve.  In fact, the infield play stinks!” [Phillies owner Bill] Giles, after giving Woodward free rein, fired him in June 1988.

The fateful Pittsburgh series referenced by Woodward took place April 11th through the 13th, with the Phillies being shut out in the series finale by Pirates pitcher Brian Fisher.  Four errors were committed by the Phillies in the second game of the series by Bruce Ruffin, Milt Thompson, Steve Jeltz and Von Hayes.

 

1964 Topps #378

1967 Topps #546

1968 Topps #476

1970 Topps #296

1971 Topps #496

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #378
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1964-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-WW

36 - Woodward non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/22/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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