Born on Jan. 30, 2000, in Oakland, California, Bryan Woo is a 24-year-old American baseball star playing as a pitcher for Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners.
His fledgling career is impressive, and from a young age, it was apparent he would be a star. He attended Alameda High School in Alameda, California, and showed early promise with his “unique fastball” (as per the San Francisco Chronicle). He also played for the Peninsula Oilers in the Alaska Baseball League that summer and the following summer (as per the Peninsula Clarion).
In 2019, he enrolled at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, to play college baseball for the Cal Poly Mustangs. As a freshman, he shone, but his 2020 and 2021 seasons were prematurely ended by the COVID-19 pandemic and ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (as per ESPN) — known as Tommy John surgery — respectively.
In the 2021 Major League Baseball draft, the Seattle Mariners selected Woo in the sixth round with the 174th overall selection (per the Santa Maria Times). Suffice it to say he quickly got to the big leagues. He debuted for the team against the Texas Rangers in 2023 and has been a consistent performer since.
But what ethnicity is Woo?
What ethnicity is Bryan Woo?
As per JapanBall, Woo’s surname is traditionally of Korean or Chinese descent. However, as The SuperSlice points out, he has yet to address his specific ancestry.
His parents — who, like Woo, have lived all their lives in the United States — are Clayton and Hilary Woo (as per MLB.com). His grandparents, John Woo and Nancy Woo, are the first recorded residents of California from his family (as per The SuperSlice again).
Hopefully, it will all become clear one day, but for now, let’s just appreciate what a terrific baseball player Woo is.