Jim 'Woody' Woodward
Pretty much everyone in our local baseball community knows Jim 'Woody' Woodward. For 34 years he was an MLB scout in So Cal, most recently an area scout with the Boston Red Sox. He built and maintained countless relationships with players, families, coaches and others as he created a positive environment in the scouting community. Prior to his position with the Red Sox, Woody was the Western Cross Checker for the San Diego Padres from 1996 to 2001, where he oversaw area scouts. He got his start in the scouting world in 1985 as an area scout with the New York Mets.
Woody played college ball at Rio Hondo Community College in Whittier, CA before going on to play at the Division 1 level at Long Beach State University where he was drafted by the New York Mets in the 16th round of the 1980 MLB draft.
For the past 16 years, "Coach" Woody also headed up the Red Sox Scout Ball Team, where he coached, advised, and mentored many of the most talented ball players from our local high. His scout ball program, along with his annual scout ball tournament, where other MLB scout ball teams competed in front of college coaches and other MLB scouts, proved to be a great experience for many local players.
Woody has recently turned his focus on coaching and mentoring a younger generation of ball players, as he brings his experience and knowledge to his See It Big program.
John Carranza
Many will recognize John as the face of Frozen Ropes, a baseball and softball training center that operated in Glendora, CA during the 1990's. As the General Manager of Frozen Ropes, John oversaw all training and development programs for the 17,000 sq ft facility where he also coached several travel baseball and softball teams. Prior to his sent at Frozen Ropes, John coached for several years at the recreational level at La Verne Little League, La Verne ASA Fastpitch and Glendora Lassie League Fastpitch.
Over the last decade, John's focus shifted towards baseball pitchers and more specifically, arm care and youth development. A turning point came in 2016, when John's good friend Alan Jaeger introduced him to Mike Rathwell and Kyle Boddy of Driveline Baseball. John and his son, Isaiah, who had just completed his freshman year at the Univ of Oregon, spent some time at the Driveline facility in Kent, WA and learned firsthand the amazing things that Driveline was doing in terms of the science, physics, and mechanics of throwing a baseball.