Swampscott Man Wears Many Caps in Major League Baseball

This article was written by Don Leypoldt, media relations director for the New England Collegiate Baseball League.

Baseball umpires keep their eyes on balls and strikes, on what's fair and foul, and on runners to declare them safe or out.

But who keeps an eye on the umps?

Answer: Swampscott native Peter Woodfork.

He also reviews transactions and other items essential to running Major League Baseball.

On March 8, 2011, Major League Commissioner Bud Selig hired Woodfork, a former standout second baseman from Harvard, as a senior vice president for baseball operations.  At the time, Woodfork reported to Joe Torre.

“Today, I oversee umpiring as well as Minor and Major League transactions, waivers, trades,” Woodfork said.  “That pretty much consumes most of my time.

“There are some (transactions) that have money considerations that need to be approved.  How much money you’re going to pass along in a trade.  You need to make sure that each team follows the rules, such as you can’t trade a drafted player until after a year.  No trade clauses.  We make sure that everyone is playing even and (according to) balanced rules.

He concluded, “It continues to get more and more complex as teams have become more creative in trying to get an advantage over other clubs.”

And if you’re absolutely convinced that the Big League Men in Blue change the strike zone when your pitcher takes the mound, that falls under Woodfork’s purview as well.

“The offseason is where we continue to develop our umpires,” he says.  “It’s like the offseason for a player in a lot of ways.  In season, there isn’t a lot of development that goes on and these guys want to improve and get better.  I just returned from Arizona where we did a week-long kind of camp or retreat where we do continued training and have speakers come in. 

“Each Major League umpire gets reviews which are extensive.  Those need to be done and you make sure you speak to them about them and their development.”

This is Woodfork’s second stint with Major League Baseball.  A psychology major, Woodfork got a position with a law firm after graduation from Harvard.  David Forst, a Harvard teammate and close friend of Woodfork’s had a position with the Oakland A’s.  Forst used his connections to “help me get an at-bat” with Major League Baseball, said Woodfork.

Woodfork continued, “I started back in the commissioner’s office in late 2000 working in the Labor Department on contracts and the new Collective Bargaining Agreement coming out in 2002.  I went over to the Boston Red Sox and spent three years as the Director of Baseball Operations.  I worked in Player Development as well.  From there, I was lucky enough to go to the Arizona Diamondbacks as an Assistant GM.  I was there for about 5 ½ years.  Now, I’m back in Major League Baseball.”

Before he could be one of Selig’s top lieutenants, Woodfork was a North Shore prep legend.  The Boston Globe’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1995, Woodfork helped to lead both Swampscott (MA) High and Swampscott American Legion to state championships.

"He's like a Little League legend," Chicago Cubs GM Theo Epstein said in a January 2005 interview with Boston.com.  "I run into people all the time who say, 'He was the best Little League player I've ever seen.' "

Second baseman Woodfork spent his 1996 summer in Rhode Island as a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL).  He ranked among NECBL leaders in hitting (.349) and RBI (24).

“I had played in the Ivy League, which was a solid league, but when you went to the NECBL, you really saw a step forward of what guys can do from all around the country,” he remembered.  “It was an eye opening, competitive experience which I enjoyed greatly.”

Woodfork won three Ivy League titles in his four years at Harvard, but he was resigned to see his playing days end when he got his diploma.

“I had played for a while and was done with that portion of my life while looking forward to other things to be competitive in,” he offered.  “I had suffered a few injuries in college that I had played through and I think my body was telling me ‘enough is enough.’”

Woodfork has since worn many hats.  In the front office, he dealt with salary arbitration, rules compliance and contract work among numerous tasks.  It’s all part of the behind the scene nuts and bolts that run a baseball team.

Ultimately, those nuts and bolts pay off in some incredibly rewarding relationships. 

“I was lucky enough to be part of winning a World Series in Boston and a number of playoff teams, as well as a playoff team in Arizona,” he responded when asked about his most rewarding experience.  “The greatest reward for someone is when you actually see those guys who you took as high school or college players in the draft and see them go all the way through to successful Major League careers or even just make it to the Big Leagues.  You know the difficulty in getting there is great and when you see someone work through your system in A-ball, Double-A, then Triple-A…especially those guys who weren’t taken in the First Round or were taken later on and what they had to give up to get there.  It is rewarding.

“Guys like Dustin Pedroia or Kevin Youkilis, when they were in the Minor Leagues, were really good but no one was slam dunking them as everyday Major Leaguers.                                                                                                                    Pedroia has a well-earned reputation for being one of the most passionate players in the Big Leagues.  Woodfork advises that a Pedroia-like passion for the game is necessary … even if people aspire to a front office position.

“One of the big things for any person in college who wants to continue in baseball is to take your farthest run at continuing to play,” Woodfork recommends.  “That playing experience gives you, overall, a greater understanding of baseball.  After that, I think it really is grinding it out.  You have to have a love for baseball.  I always tell people that who are trying to get in that it’s a job, but it’s also a lifestyle choice.  We play 162 games of baseball in 183 days.  It’s a lot of weekends.  You need to be resigned to the lifestyle before you get resigned to the actual job.”

There is an ironic reward however for those resigned to the lifestyle.  They can join Woodfork’s small coterie whose work is all fun and games.