Hunter Blake Wood (born August 12, 1993) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the Sultanes de Monterrey of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

, and Texas Rangers.

Career

Wood attended

Rogers Heritage High School Rogers Heritage High School is a comprehensive public high school in Rogers, Arkansas for students in grades nine through twelve. Rogers Public Schools established the school in 2008. The first graduating class was in 2010. Curriculum The assu ...

Rogers, Arkansas Rogers is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. Located in the Ozarks, it is part of the Northwest Arkansas region, one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country. Rogers was the location of the first Walmart store, whose cor ...

. He was drafted by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

in the 32nd round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks, first ...

but did not sign and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

Howard College Howard College is a community college in the U.S. state of Texas with its main campus in Big Spring and branch campuses in San Angelo and Lamesa. History Howard County Junior College was established in Big Spring in 1945. 148 students be ...

Tampa Bay Rays

Wood was drafted by the

in the 29th round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

and signed. He made his professional debut that year with the

Princeton Rays The Princeton Rays were a Minor League Baseball team in Princeton, West Virginia, operating as an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with several Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, primarily the Ta ...

and spent the whole season there, going 3–3 with a 3.80 ERA in 16 starts. He pitched 2014 with the

Hudson Valley Renegades Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson R ...

and

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which open ...

, compiling a combined 4–4 record and 3.35 ERA in 19 starts, and 2015 with Bowling Green and

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

where he posted a 2–7 record and 2.20 ERA in 29 games (ten starts). After the 2015 season he pitched in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

. Wood started 2016 with Charlotte, and was later promoted to the

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

. In 21 games (18 starts) between the two clubs he pitched to a 9–5 record and 2.39 ERA. Wood started 2017 with the

. Wood was called up to the

for the first time on May 30, 2017. He made his MLB debut that day, pitching of an inning against the Texas Rangers in a 9–5 loss. He was optioned back to Montgomery the next day and promoted to the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

in June, where he spent the remainder of the season. In 31 games (18 starts) between Montgomery and Durham he posted a 7–5 record and 4.60 ERA. Wood began 2018 with Durham, but was recalled to Tampa Bay on April 17, where he was often utilized as an

opener Opener, Open'er or Openers may refer to: * ''Opener'' (album), an album by 8mm * Opener (baseball), a baseball strategy to use a relief pitcher to start a game * Open'er Festival, a contemporary music festival held in Gdynia, Poland * Bottle opene ...

. For the season, Wood made 29 appearances, 8 starts for the Rays, finishing with a record of 1–1 in 41 innings. Wood came to Spring Training with the Rays in 2019, but was optioned to Minor League camp in late March. Wood started the 2019 season with Durham, but was recalled by the Rays on April 8.

Cleveland Indians

Wood was traded, along with

Christian Arroyo Christian Israel Arroyo (born May 30, 1995) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, and Cleveland Indians. Lis ...

, to the

on July 28, 2019, in exchange for minor league outfielder Ruben Cardenas and international signing period slot money. Wood was designated for assignment by the Indians on July 23, 2020. After clearing waivers, he was outrighted to the Indians' alternate training site roster on July 25, 2020. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Texas Rangers

On January 19, 2021, Wood signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization and was invited to Spring Training. On May 15, 2021, Wood was selected to the active roster. In 5 appearances for Texas, Wood recorded a 3.60 ERA. On June 4, Wood was placed on the 60-day injured list with a mild UCL sprain. Wood later underwent surgery with a recovery timetable of at least 8 months. However, he did not undergo Tommy John surgery, instead undergoing a procedure which installed an internal brace in his elbow. On October 9, Wood elected free agency.

Minnesota Twins

On May 27, 2022, Wood signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On March 3, 2023, Wood signed with the Sultanes de Monterrey of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Hunter 1993 births Living people People from Rogers, Arkansas Baseball players from Arkansas Major League Baseball pitchers Tampa Bay Rays players Cleveland Indians players Texas Rangers players Howard Hawks baseball players Princeton Rays players Hudson Valley Renegades players Bowling Green Hot Rods players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Mesa Solar Sox players Montgomery Biscuits players Durham Bulls players Columbus Clippers players Round Rock Express players Florida Complex League Twins players