Chris Woodward, surprisingly, continues to find employment in Major League Baseball. The former Seattle Mariners infielder and coach has not found much success as a coach in baseball, but his perseverance has kept him lining up new jobs, even if they are in the wrong direction.
Woodward, who began his coaching career with the Mariners in 2012, was the manager of the division-rival Rangers for a stretch riding over three seasons.
His coaching resume is nothing short of a rollercoaster, holding positions as a manager, an advisor and a third base coach. Now, Woodward continues to sink on the totem pole, re-joining the Dodgers as a first base coach for the 2025 season after serving in a larger role with the organization last year.
Mariners News: Former infielder Chris Woodward returns to Dodgers
Woodward is certainly thrilled for the opportunity to be on the field with the defending World Series champions, but his journey to get to this spot feels like it's coming from the wrong direction. His success was seldom as the Rangers' manager, holding a 211-287 record (.424) before Tony Beasley took over. Bruce Bochy then became the full-time manager, leading the club to a World Series title over the Diamondbacks. Gut-punch for Woodward.
It's tough to watch your team immediately contend for a ring, but Woodward's done what he can to move on from the organization, especially after a few awkward media moments. However, to go from being manager to a senior advisor to Major League and Player Development to a first base coach feels ... strange. Is this where he belongs? Is he hoping to use this as a stepping stone to get back to being a manager? It's not far-fetched, considering the Marlins just hired Clayton McCullough as manager after he held down the fort at first base for Los Angeles for four seasons.
Everyone loves a comeback story, and perhaps Mariners fans will root for Woodward's success. He played for the M's in 2009 and 2010, logging 28 games in the twilight of his career. Seattle fans love bringing up past random players (looking at you, Dae-ho Lee), so maybe they are in his corner, and even more so now that he is no longer with a rival in the AL West.
The Mariners never seemed to consider hiring Woodward. The club's eyes were set on bringing back Edgar Martinez and signing Kevin Seitzer, which came to fruition after theyfired Scott Servais. Whether it be good or bad news for Woodward, at least he is still hanging around and getting paid in Major League Baseball. That cannot be said for Servais at the moment.