Sky Is the Limit For Washington Nationals Young Star Outfielder
One of the bright spots for the Washington Nationals in the 2024 MLB season was outfielder James Wood.
Acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster, everyone knew the towering outfielder was oozing with potential. He has all of the tools to become a great player and it was a matter of when he would be unleashed in the Major Leagues.
July 1st ended up being when the team decided it was time for him to make his debut. From that point on, he was entrenched in the left field, shortly soon after securing a middle-of-the-order spot in Dave Martinez’s lineup.
Far from a finished product, there was a lot to like about his first summer as a pro. As Martinez shared, via Mark Zuckerman of Masn, everyone is excited about what the future holds.
“You look at what he’s done since he’s been here, in a short period of time, he’s really done well. But we knew that about him. He put up good numbers in the minor leagues. And he’s just now starting to understand who he really is. The sky’s the limit for him. I always talk about the All-Stars we potentially have here. He’s one of them. I’m really proud of him.”
Take your choice of what stood out the most from his first 79 games in The Show. His prodigious power was on display with nine home runs and 13 doubles in 336 plate appearances.
The combination of speed he possesses at 6’7” with that power is tantalizing. He added 14 stolen bases. Some work is needed with efficiency, as he was caught stealing eight times, but the skills are there.
What really stood out was when he faced his first adversity with the Nationals. As Zuckerman shared, things did get ugly at one point, but he adjust properly and started producing again.
“There was a lull after that, though, with pitchers realizing they couldn’t afford to throw him fastballs over the plate and Wood losing that trademark patience and chasing pitches out of the zone for a two-week stretch that saw him strike out 26 times while drawing only three walks. Twenty-one games into his career, he owned a disappointing .200/.273/.288 slash line.
And then, as everyone figured he would, Wood figured it out again. He laid off most of those pitches out of the zone. He took his walks (32 in his final 58 games). And he hit the ball hard, especially to the left-center field gap. With an .862 OPS over the last two months of the season, Wood looked very much like the elite prospect he always was touted to be, possessing a rare combination of bat speed and plate discipline that drew some comparisons to the superstar the Nats traded to San Diego to acquire him two years ago.”
Everyone knew there would be some hiccups. He turned only 22 years old this summer and wasn’t the most experienced player. Before heading to Washington, he played in only 283 Minor League games.
His process is excellent as he has power to all fields and can be one of the most feared hitters in the game. Early returns were incredibly positive, as no one is going to bet against him reaching his incredibly high ceiling.
