Jaden
Woods

Woods was electric in his start against Florida in Jacksonville, pitching two scoreless innings with five strikeouts. He pitched with a 93-95 mph heater and his trademark 81-84 mph swing/miss, high-spin curveball. He worked quickly, filled the zone and overmatched the Gators’ lineup throughout his short stint. The arrow continues to point up after a successful summer with the CNT, followed by an even better fall for the Bulldogs where he has struck out nine in four and one-third innings.

USA CNT TRIALS: Woods arrived in Athens two years ago as more of a projection guy whose loose, athletic frame tantalized scouts, but his stuff has gradually improved over the course of his first two college seasons. He worked at 91-95 mph in our summer look, with a clean arm action and a high slot. His slider has improved considerably since his freshman year, now showing decent bite and coming in at 79-82 mph, firmer than we saw early this spring when it was 77-79. The slider spins just in the 2000-2100s, less than we usually see from very good sliders, but it has enough tilt and bite to project as an average pitch nonetheless. Woods has also shown an effective mid-80s changeup in the past, though he did not use it in the inning we saw during CNT training camp, as all four batters he faced were lefthanded. He struck out two of them, getting Jack Hurley on an elevated 95 mph heater and freezing Enrique Bradfield with a good 79 mph slider on the outside corner. Woods has pitched mostly in relief thus far in his career, but his 6-2, 198-pound frame, athletic delivery and three-pitch repertoire all suggest he could get another shot to start.

The best of the group looked to be 2023 draft eligible prospect Jaden Woods. The lefty closed the door for the Bulldogs with two innings of stellar relief of Cannon on Friday. He struck out five of the seven batters he faced, mixing a 90-92 mph fastball up in the zone (averaged 18.8" IVB) with a big breaking bender down. His 77-79 mph curve was the difference-maker, especially in the ninth when he KOd the side in order for the save. Woods projects to the top three rounds in 2023.

Georgia recruit. Wiry, athletic frame. Fastball was 85-89 with carry through the zone, garner swings and misses. Curveball had loose, 2/8 break in the mid 70s.

Woods is a highly interesting 6-foot-2 lefty from HoCo. On Saturday, he sat in the upper-80s while landing some serviceable breaking balls, too, giving him a path to success throughout the spring. He’s also an athletic prospect with a fast arm, granting him some added upside and projection, which is why the Bulldogs are investing in his future. Woods was formerly committed to Georgia State before deciding to make the switch to Athens.