Remembering Chris Woodward, who spents parts of 5 seasons with the Blue Jays.
As has been reported by numerous sources, including ESPN, the New York Mets have signed Chris Woodward to a minor league contract. He’s expected to backup Jose Reyes as Kazuo Matsui moves to 2B.
It’s sad to see Woodward leave Toronto and the Blue Jays organisation. It was likely the right time for him to get a fresh start as his offensive performance never reached the levels many in the front office hoped and Russ Adams looks ready to stake his claim to the SS position. The fact Woodward even made the majors after being a 54th round draft pick is a testament to his determination and work ethic. It would have been incredibly easy for someone like that to give up or assume that they had no future in baseball and the fact he advanced to AA, let alone made the major leagues, is incredible.
Plus, Woodward was an outstanding individual who will be missed around the city. He was quite involved in charity work and I remember a particular story about him and Ken Huckaby going round the Hospital for Sick Children in the days before Christmas a couple of years ago and trying to brighten up the day for these kids. Furthermore, if you ever arrived at the Dome early to watch batting practice, you could vouch for his friendly, down-to-earth attitude towards fans. Chris was always willing to sign autographs and talk to fans, and seemed almost humbled by the attention he was given. Plus, Chris married a Canadian girl, if I remember correctly, so he definitely gets bonus points there.
Here’s wishing Woodward all the best in his future endeavours, and I hope he has a great year for the Mets. Please share all your Chris Woodward memories in this thread.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20041229020142999