The 1970s were a pivotal time for baseball labor relations and player negotiating power, that decade bringing about the end of the reserve clause and the advent of free agency. There are several trailblazing names associated with that movement, chief among them Curt Flood. But nearly as important in terms of setting a precedent to move bargaining rights forward was a lesser-known pitcher by the name of Dick Woodson.
Richard Lee “Dick” Woodson
Born: March 30, 1945 (Oelwein, IA)
Yankees Tenure: 1974
Richard Lee “Dick” Woodson was born on March 30, 1945, in Iowa, before his family moved to San Diego in advance of high school. He attended Crawford High, the six-foot-five righty then attending college to play basketball. However, a falling out with the head coach led Woodson to try out for the baseball team while making a decision on whether he would switch schools. His pitching performances caught the eye of Twins western regional scout Dick Wiencek, who offered to sign him as an amateur free agent prior to the 1965 season. At the time, Woodson was told that the organization could not afford to pay him a salary, however Wiencek offered three incentives of $500 dollars each if Woodson could remain on the Double-A, Triple-A, and major league rosters for at least 90 days each.
Woodson snapped up the offer and pitched four seasons in the Twins’ minor league system, rising to Triple-A by the end of 1968. This attracted the attention of a rookie manager in Minnesota by the name of Billy Martin, who invited Woodson to spring training in 1969. Woodson credits his first big-league skipper for believing in him when few others did:
“My next biggest thrill (to being signed) was doing well enough that Billy Martin had extreme faith in me and over Calvin Griffiths’ objections, took me to the big leagues. I will forever be beholden to Billy for having that kind of faith and even though Calvin Griffith was so against it and he still took me and that was Billy’s way and giving me that chance to get into the big leagues.”
Woodson broke camp with the big league team and made his MLB debut on Opening Day, April 8, 1969. Entering in relief of Joe Grzenda with the bases loaded in the 12th inning against the Royals at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, Woodson surrendered the walk-off single to lose, 4-3. He made 44 appearances (10 starts) on the year, going 7-5 with a 3.67 ERA (101 ERA+) and 66 strikeouts in 110.1 innings. In the first year of MLB divisional play, the Twins finished first in the AL West to earn a date against the Orioles in the inaugural American League Championship Series. They got swept in three games, Woodson coming on in relief of starter Bob Miller with two outs in the second inning of Game 3. Woodson allowed two runs on three hits and three walks as the Twins’ season ended with an 11-2 loss. Martin wouldn’t survive the year, as disputes with ownership led to his firing despite the success — a portent of things to come in his managerial career.
An injury in 1970 limited Woodson to just 21 relief appearances, the second-year pitcher logging a 3.82 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. He nonetheless earned a spot on the postseason roster as the Twins once again won the division for a rematch with the Orioles in the ALCS. Once again, the Twins were swept in three games, Woodson entering Game 1 in the fifth with the Twins losing, 9-3, and giving up a run on two hits and a walk as Minnesota lost, 10-6.
With Twins owner Calvin Griffith looking for ways to suppress payroll in 1971, Woodson spent the entirety of the 1971 season at Triple-A, where he “made $500 a month for five months and then after that you had to go out and get what they called a real job because we were considered seasonal workers.” He earned his way back to the major-league team in 1972 and forced his way into the rotation, where he would post the best season of his career. Woodson placed second behind teammate and future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven in most pitching categories, going 14-14 in 36 starts with a 2.72 ERA (119 ERA+), three complete game shutouts, and 150 strikeouts in 251.2 innings, though the Twins missed the playoffs after finishing third.
1973 saw Woodson retain his spot in the rotation after contentious offseason negotiations over salary, Griffith offering the league minimum under the justification that it represented a $2,000 raise over what Woodson made in the minors in 1971. Woodson demanded a raise, but the noted skinflint Griffith — whom people joked “threw around nickels like manhole covers,” — told Woodson that he could take the offer or “go and carry a lunch bucket,” and thus he was forced to play for that salary or sit out the season and hope to be traded or released given free agency had not yet come into effect. Woodson pitched in 1973 for $15,000, going 10-8 in 23 starts with a 3.95 ERA (100 ERA+) and 53 strikeouts in 141.1 innings as the Twins missed the playoffs again.
That brought Woodson to the 1974 season and his groundbreaking moment in MLB labor history. Even though Curt Flood lost his Supreme Court in his fight to end the reserve clause, the landmark case set the wheels in motion for players to have more agency over whom they played for. Woodson filed for a $30,000 salary for the 1974 season while the Twins countered at $23,000. Woodson was advised to take the case to an arbitration hearing, but the pitcher claimed he could not afford an attorney at his $15,000 salary from the year prior.
Former executive director of the MLBPA Marvin Miller had been waiting to find the perfect player to represent in a slam-dunk arbitration hearing. In Woodson’s words he was “hand-picked by Marvin Miller because [he] was the poster child of the most abused in Major League Baseball as far as contract negotiations.” The Twins focused their argument around the team’s revenue projections for the upcoming season, arguing that “due to the raising price of gasoline, they couldn’t afford to give Woodson a raise as they were expecting lower attendance.” The arbitrator ruled in favor of Woodson and awarded him the requested $30,000 salary after comparing him to similar pitchers who were making between $50,000 and $55,000. Thus, Woodson made history as the first player in MLB to win an arbitration hearing under the new collective bargaining agreement, breaking the ice for a further 28 players to pursue arbitration that spring.
However, Griffith publicly swore that he would never pay Woodson his awarded salary, and traded the pitcher a month into the season to the Yankees for pitcher Mike Pazik and cash. Woodson had a 4.33 ERA in five appearances at the time of the trade, but things turned south upon his arrival in the Bronx. He made just eight appearances (three starts) in pinstripes, his ERA inflating to 5.79 in 28 innings before an injury ended his season. Those would be the final innings he would pitch in the majors, the Yankees trading him to the Braves at the conclusion of the season.
Woodson struggled to the tune of a 6.75 ERA in 21 Triple-A appearances, leading to his release and signing for the Rangers on a minor league deal. However, he was swiftly cut again after giving up 12 runs on 17 hits in nine innings, Woodson retiring at the age of 30 at the end of the season. He worked as a salesman for 30 years before retiring for a second time to California, settling an hour and a half from Los Angeles in Menifee.
Dick Woodson was once a promising young pitcher in a dangerous Twins rotation alongside future Hall of Famers Blyleven and Jim Kaat. Injury and disagreements with his owner prevented him from fulfilling his potential after his breakout 1972 campaign, leading to an unremarkable eight-game stint with the Yankees. However, he will always be one of the most important names in the early labor battles that shaped free agency as we know it today.
References
Dick Woodson. Baseball-Reference.
Dick Woodson. Baseball Almanac.
Swol, John J. “A Chat with Dick Woodson.” Twins Trivia.
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