Development of James Wood Was Biggest Success for Washington Nationals in 2024

James Wood has shined for the Washington Nationals since being called up this summer.

Sep 17, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) follows through on a run scoring fielders choice during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

As the Washington Nationals head into the final week of the MLB season, there are some nice positives to take away from the franchise this year. 

While the Nationals were never going to be competing for a World Series this campaign, the goal for the year was to grow, get better, and develop some of their young players. 

In their lineup, they certainly saw growth, as shortstop C.J. Abrams was named to his first All-Star team. While his second half of the season hasn’t been good and there have been some issues off the field with the team, Abrams is already an All-Star caliber player. 

The talented shortstop isn’t the only infielder that had a good season, as second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. showcased that he can be an excellent hitter in the big leagues. 

While the development of their two infielders is going well, Washington also saw some of their new top prospects come up this season in the outfield, perhaps most notably, James Wood. 

Recently, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com spoke about Wood being the biggest success for the franchise this year. 

“Biggest success: The Nats have had a lot of good news on the young player front this season. The headliner in that realm is getting James Wood to the majors at 21 and watching him more than hold his own. Patient and powerful, Wood isn't a finished product, but at 21, who is? Wood needs to cut down on the whiffs. If he does, the Nationals will have a lineup linchpin for years to come. Side note: Wood is 6-foot-7. Is it just me, or does it feel like there is rising population of big league position players who are built like NBA stretch-4s?”

It has been a really nice campaign for Wood since being called up during the summer, as in 73 games, he has hit .266 with eight homeruns, 39 RBIs, 13 doubles, and has stolen 14 bases. 

The development of Wood is certainly a bright spot for the Nationals, as his sample size has been pretty large now at this point. At just 21 years old, Wood is just starting to touch his potential, as with his size he will likely become an even better power hitter.

One area that he can look to work on to improve next year is limiting his strikeouts, as he is averaging over one per game. 

As Washington plans for next season, Wood will be a big part of the team moving forward.