SURPRISE, AZ – As our off-season rankings and evaluations begin, I find myself having a difficult time figuring out where Eric Wood would rank, and what kind of future upside he has. Wood had a bit of a breakout year this season, hitting for a .782 OPS on the year, and showing enough defense to not only be able to stick at third base, but to be named the best defensive third baseman in the Eastern League by Baseball America.
The unfair thing about prospect evaluations is that first impressions can mean so much. If a guy comes in looking like a potential starting position player, or a potential starting pitcher, and he performs well, then it’s believable. If a player comes from out of nowhere, and just starts becoming a prospect to watch in Double-A, then it’s believed a little less.
Except Wood didn’t exactly come from nowhere. He was drafted in the middle rounds in 2012, and was largely a money saving pick aimed at signing first round pick Mark Appel. But that year in the GCL, we were getting good reports from scouts on his power potential and his defensive skills at third base. He was more a raw player, but definitely a guy to watch.
Then Wood struggled the next three years. The Pirates kept moving him up to new levels, but he eventually stalled out at Double-A, returning to the level in 2016. There’s a good reason for this slow approach. Wood still showed the same potential he had in 2012, but still looked raw, and that was due to his history as a position player. Sean McCool wrote about that this summer, noting that Wood made the switch at age 17. So you can excuse the fact that he hasn’t picked things up as quickly as position players who have been playing the field for most of their lives.
“Any guy that was a pitcher before, and now he’s trying to learn on the fly to hit, it’s one of the hardest things to do in sports,” said Kevin Riggs, who was Wood’s hitting coach this year in both Altoona and Surprise. “What he’s done is remarkable for the limited amount of at-bats he has under his belt. I’m excited with where he’s headed, and where he’s at right now.”
Wood is definitely making some positive strides on both sides of the ball, and there’s good reason to like him as a prospect. It’s just difficult to say what type of upside he has, due to the limited amount of success.
One thing that does look legit is his defense at third base. He’s got some range at the position, good first step quickness, good glove work, and a strong arm. Defensively, there aren’t many questions about his ability to stick at the position, and provide positive defensive value. Wood credits this to just staying out of his own way, and letting his tools do the work. He also credits his work this season with Joey Cora, who is the new third base and infield coach for the Pirates.
“Working with Joey Cora in Altoona, it’s just confidence,” Wood said of his defensive upgrades. “I have all the abilities to do it, it’s just trusting them, and being confident and having a little swagger. That was basically it for me. It started to click. I got momentum on my side, and just kept rolling with it.”
His position as a third baseman does provide an issue for his future in the Pirates’ organization. They’ve got Jung Ho Kang under team control through the 2019 season, and just signed David Freese to an extension that will have him under team control for the same amount of time. It would take a lot of injuries for Wood to arrive in 2017, and I’m not sure it would be significantly different in 2018 or 2019.
The Pirates are countering this by having him playing some new positions this off-season. He has only played third base in his pro career. He played briefly at first base in the AFL, which is a position he played before in junior college when he was also a pitcher. He’s also getting work in the outfield, which he says is going well.
“It’s a lot of fun, because you get to show your arm off,” Wood said of his outfield work. “So you get to throw people out, which is a lot of fun. I like to do that. I can play the outfield. It hasn’t been very challenging. There’s definitely a lot to learn, but it’s been an easy transition so far.”
The big question for Wood comes on offense. He showed off his power potential and applied it to the stats, with a .194 ISO this year. He didn’t have the best numbers, with a sub-.800 OPS, and an .805 OPS from June to the end of the season. But he did show big improvements over his previous season, and has been crushing the ball in a limited time in the AFL.
“All the credit goes to him, because he went through a year where he struggled at Double-A the first time, and then repeated the level and did quite well,” Riggs said. “That’s a credit to him. Understanding where he’s at with his development, and what he needs to work on, I think he did a nice job of that. That confidence from the season has carried over to the Fall League, and he’s continuing a really strong season.”
The downside to repeating a level and doing well is that it raises questions on whether the success is legit, or a result of repeating the level. That’s a question that would have to be answered in the future, as Wood moves up to Triple-A for the first time.
He said that he didn’t make any significant changes to his swing to bring on the improved results, but instead changed his approach and the mental side of hitting.
“Just being ready to hit every pitch,” Wood said. “Not giving away at-bats. That was basically the key for me. I’m still getting better. That’s still something that I need to continue to get better at, being able to fire every single pitch, and when they make that mistake, I’m ready.”
The upside for Wood is ultimately going to depend on the bat. Right now, he looks like he’s got the ability to make the majors in some role, even if it’s just a utility guy who can provide good defense at the corner spots. His hitting would take him anywhere from a bench player to an average starter, or possibly more. Right now, based on the one year of hitting success, I’d say an aggressive evaluation would put him as a future starter with average upside, mostly due to his defense at third base. I wouldn’t project anything more than that, unless he repeats his offense at a higher level. We should get a chance to see whether he can do this next year in Indianapolis.
