Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
BLAKE WOOD, 23, Right-handed Pitcher
Like his pitches, Wood's three-year minor-league career has been marred by inconsistency. He spent the first three months of 2007 recovering from back surgery on a herniated disc, then finished the season with strong performances at low Class A Burlington and high Class A Wilmington. After a fine start to 2008 in Wilmington, where in more than 10 starts he held batters to a .168 average and struck out 63 in 57 innings, Wood struggled upon his promotion to the Naturals. There he labored through 18 starts and posted a 5.30 ERA, often times unable to locate his fastball and rarely able to get both his curve and changeup to work in...
