Washington Nationals Drop Highlights of James Wood Playing Basketball, And They're Insane

Wood, a former top prospect, was evidently quite the athlete on the hardwood.

Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) hits a two-run home run against the New York Mets during the third inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

For reasons unknown to us, the Washington Nationals decided to release a basketball highlight tape of superstar prospect James Wood on Wednesday.

We aren't mad at it, because the highlights are certainly...um... impressive. Look at the way that Wood plays above the rim, consistently. And this is just high school.

Perhaps the release coincides with the official start of the NCAA Tournament, which kicked off Tuesday with a pair of play-in games.

A N D 1,529,029 pic.twitter.com/qfbN0vM2Sm

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) March 19, 2025

Wood, 22, is an elite athlete who made his major league debut a season ago. In 295 at-bats, he hit .264 with nine homers and 41 RBI. He stole 14 bases and posted a .354 on-base percentage. He'll pair with Dylan Crews and CJ Abrams to make up the next era of Nationals baseball. The organization hasn't been to the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2019.

He's the former top prospect in the system, selected in the second round of the 2021 draft out of IMG Academy (Florida). The Nationals acquired him in 2022 as part of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres. He figures to start the year in the outfield alongside Crews this season, as the Nationals will open up the year with optimism not seen since they started their rebuild in 2021.

The Nats begin the year on March 27 with an inter-division contest against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies won the National League East last season before being bounced in the National League Division Series by the New York Mets.

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