 His contract had been purchased on October 12, 1961 from the Denver Bears, the Tigers' American Association affiliate at the time.General manager Paul Richards, who had previously managed the Baltimore Orioles, was impressed with several of his qualities such as his six-foot-four-inch (1.93 meters) height, work ethic and an ability to throw an effective sinker.The most important one was Woodeshick having his best performances against Richards' old ballclub.