Bryan Woo Embracing Role in Community, Hosts Reverse Signing Event

The Mariners hosted another reverse signing event in 2024 that was organized by Mitch Haniger. He's no longer on team and handed the reins off to Woo, who participated in the event last year.

The Seattle Children's Hospital provides specialized care for children and young adults, many of whom are facing life-threatening illnesses.

"( It was) something I was already excited about doing again with (Haniger) hosting it," Woo said Wednesday. "But then, kind of passed the torch down. I think, for me especially, I think kids are probably my soft spot in terms of most important way I try to impact the community. There's so many things that you can do. I think impact on kids is such as long-lasting impact. It's super important to me."

Woo hosted the event for four hours before Seattle's game against the Boston Red Sox.

"It was a lot of wide smiles," Woo said. "From the kids and also from the parents and the families, and stuff. It's important to remember that has just as much of an impact on them, as well. They go through all the ups and downs with their kids and all that they're going through, as well. It means a lot to everybody in the room. ... Just try to make a highlight in everybody's day."

For Woo, the true impact of community involvement was something he didn't fully understand while moving up through the minor leagues. The Mariners' current manager and former skipper for Woo in the minors, Dan Wilson, preached that message to him, and it's sunk in.

"It's awesome," Wilson said in a pregame interview Tuesday. "I think a lot of our guys are pretty involved in a variety of things. And I think it's always important to maybe find something that's meaningful to you, and to see Bryan doing that is pretty impressive. ... And I think baseball really affords guys a platform. And I think it's important and somewhat of a responsibility for all of us to use our platforms in a positive way."

Several of Woo's teammates, including Logan Gilbert, Rowdy Tellez and Mitch Garver, among others, took part in the event. The children also got to go out the field, where they got to meet more players and had jerseys, cards and other memorabilia signed.

"It's something that I didn't really understand too much," Woo said. "You understand the impact, how important it is coming up. But I think once you get up here, and your performance on the field grows a little bit, you realize how much larger your responsibility becomes off the field, as well. That's something I'm starting to grow into a little bit more and realize kind of the power behind it."