Brandon Woodruff

Brandon Woodruff
Woodruff with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019
Milwaukee Brewers – No. 53
Pitcher
Born: (1993-02-10) February 10, 1993 (age 31) Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S.
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 4, 2017, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics (through 2023 season)
Win–loss record	46–26
Earned run average	3.10
Strikeouts	788
Teams
Milwaukee Brewers (2017–2023)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star (2019, 2021)

Brandon Kyle Woodruff (born February 10, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Woodruff attended Wheeler High School in Wheeler, Mississippi, and was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB draft out of high school. He did not sign with the Rangers and attended Mississippi State University to play college baseball.^[1] In 2014, his junior season, he went 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA in 37 innings.^[2] In 2012, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.^[3] After his junior year he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.^[2]

Woodruff made his professional debut that year with the Helena Brewers and spent the whole season there, going 1–2 with a 3.28 ERA in 14 games (eight starts). He pitched 2015 with the Brevard County Manatees, compiling a 4–7 record and 3.45 ERA in 21 games (19 starts), and started 2016 there. In May, he was promoted to the Biloxi Shuckers.^[4][5] In July, his brother died following an ATV accident.^[6][7] In his first start since his brother's death, Woodruff threw six shutout innings allowing one hit with nine strikeouts as well as hitting a home run.^[8] Woodruff ended 2016 with a combined 14-9 record and 2.68 ERA in 28 starts between both teams.^[9]

Woodruff started the 2017 season playing with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The Brewers promoted Woodruff to the major leagues on June 13. However, he injured himself warming up and was placed on the disabled list. The Brewers recalled Woodruff to make his debut on August 4.^[10] He was optioned back to Colorado Springs on August 20 and recalled once again on September 1. In eight starts for Milwaukee, he was 2–3 with a 4.81 ERA, and in 16 starts for Colorado Springs he pitched to a 6-5 record and 4.30 ERA.^[11]

MLB.com ranked Woodruff as Milwaukee's third-best prospect going into the 2018 season.^[12] He began 2018 with Milwaukee but was optioned to Colorado Springs in early April. During the 2018 MLB regular season, Woodruff pitched in 19 games, starting 4, for 42.1 innings. He had a 3.61 ERA and a WHIP of 1.81.^[13]

He opened Game 1 of the NLDS against the Colorado Rockies, pitching three scoreless innings in the Brewers' eventual 3–2 win. In Game 1 of the 2018 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Woodruff hit a home run off of Clayton Kershaw. He became the 22nd pitcher and the 3rd relief pitcher in postseason history to accomplish the feat.^[14][15] Woodruff pitched in 4 postseason games, pitching 12.1 innings, with a 2.19 ERA, and a 0.81 WHIP, going 1-1 in his first career postseason run.^[16]

In 2019, Woodruff pitched in 22 games, registering a 11-3 record and a 3.62 ERA with 143 strikeouts in 121+2⁄3 innings pitched for the Brewers. He was also named to the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.^[17] In 2020, Woodruff pitched to a 3-5 record and a 3.05 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 73+2⁄3 innings of work in a league-leading 13 starts.^[18] He would start the lone Wild Card game for the Brewers, giving up 1 run in 4 innings with 3 strikeouts.^[16]

In the shortened 60-game season Woodruff pitched and started in 13 games going 3-5 with a 3.05 ERA and a .99 WHIP. He had 91 strikeouts in 73.2 innings, while only walking 18. In the re-constructed 2020 MLB postseason, Woodruff pitched in 1 game, going 4.2 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 runs in a loss to the eventual World Series Champions Los Angeles Dodgers.^[16]

Woodruff pitched in a career-high 30 games while having a career-high in strikeouts (211), ERA (2.56), WHIP (0.96), and opponent batting average (.200), earning him his second career all-star appearance and helping the Brewers win the 2021 NL Central Division. In 2 playoff games Woodruff pitched 7.1 innings, giving up 6 hits and 3 runs while striking out 8.^[19]

Woodruff had another good season in 2022 going 13-4 in 27 games, pitching 190 innings and striking out 190 batters. He had an ERA of 3.05, a WHIP of 1.07 and an opponent batting average of .215. ^[19] This would be the first season Woodruff would miss the postseason in his career.

On January 13, 2023, Woodruff signed a one-year, $10.8 million contract with the Brewers, avoiding salary arbitration.^[20] Woodruff made two starts for Milwaukee, posting an excellent 0.79 ERA before he was placed on the injured list with shoulder tightness.^[21] On April 15, Woodruff was diagnosed with a sub-scapular strain in his throwing shoulder.^[22] On May 15, he was transferred on the 60-day injured list.^[21] He was activated on August 6 to make a start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[23] He pitched the first complete-game shutout of his MLB career in a 12–0 home win over the Miami Marlins on September 11.^[24] On October 13, it was announced that Woodruff underwent right shoulder surgery to repair his anterior capsule, expecting him to miss most of the 2024 season.^[25] Woodruff was non-tendered by the Brewers following the 2023 season.^[26]

On February 21, 2024, Woodruff re-signed with the Brewers on a two-year deal with a mutual option for a third year.^[27][28]

Woodruff is married to Jonie Woodruff. They have one daughter together.^[29]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
• Brandon Woodruff on Twitter
• Brandon Woodruff on Instagram