Promising Nationals Slugger Could Become Organization's Star Player
With the start of the regular season less than a week away for the Washington Nationals, there is a fair amount of buzz heading into the new campaign.
For the last several years, the Nationals have been one of the worst teams in baseball. The rebuild has felt a bit longer than it actually has been after winning the World Series in 2019, but the team is heading in the right direction.
General manager Mike Rizzo has done an excellent job stockpiling young talent and avoiding bad multi-year contracts of late, which has created a bright future for Washington.
While this might not be the year they compete for a spot in the postseason, this does feel like the season the team takes a significant step forward.
Due to the amount of young talent the franchise has, they have had to be patient in terms of developing and calling these players up. However, with a majority of their top prospects and players expected to be starting in the Majors this year, improvements to the team are likely.
However, with a lot of talent, who will become the best for the franchise has yet to be determined.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic (paid subscription required) recently broke down the player with the most upside for Washington.
“He has tremendous poise and composure and a slow heartbeat. He’s considered the player with the highest ceiling in Washington’s organization," he wrote.
This is some great praise for the talented young slugger of the Nationals, considering the amount of high-level talent that is in the organization.
When looking at the young core, CJ Abrams has already made an All-Star team, Luis Garcia Jr. had an All-Star caliber campaign in 2024, and Dylan Crews is a front-runner for the National League Rookie of the Year.
To say that Wood has the highest potential among those three shows the type of player that he can become.
After being called up midway through the year, the talented slugger was impressive for Washington. He slashed .264/.354/.427 with nine home runs, 41 RBI, and 14 stolen bases.
His unique ability to hit for power and also run the bases as effectively as he does is unique. Furthermore, when seeing how big he is, he is likely only going to get strong as he fills out his 6-foot-7 frame.
There is certainly a lot to like about Wood, and he is without a doubt one of the building blocks for the organization.
After getting a good amount of action last campaign, he is certainly poised for a breakout season in 2025. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see if it’s him who becomes the best player on the team.
