Washington Nationals 'Golden Batter' Should Be Outfielder James Wood
The Washington Nationals would have some tough decisions to make if MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred came out today and said, "We are instituting the 'Golden Batter' rule for the 2025 season."
It is something that the owners have discussed of late, albeit not to implement as soon as 2025, and it would change the entire landscape of Major League Baseball.
For those unaware, the "Golden Batter" or "Golden At-Bat" rule would allow a team to let any player on their roster hit at any time once a game, even if they are already in the lineup and it is not their turn to do so.
Think back to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where the final out of the whole shebang came down to (then) teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. It could be that situation but on a per-game basis.
For the Nationals, their "Mike Trout" in that scenario could be a number of their young core, but for now, it should be outfielder James Wood.
In 2024, his debut season, Wood batted .264/.354/.427 with nine home runs, 41 RBI, and a 122 OPS+ across 336 plate appearances in 79 games. Everyone expects Dylan Crews to be the better of the two in time, but for now, Wood is the clear choice.
A runner on third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie game and at the bottom of the lineup? Nah, here comes Wood instead of Keibert Ruiz.
The "Golden Batter" is a concept that the Savannah Bananas instituted into their exhibition games, along with all of the other wacky rules they have.
Other rules the Bananas have during their games include a batter is out if a fan in the stands catches a foul ball. If there is a base on balls, the batter must sprint to first base and advance as far as they can while the defense throws the ball around to each fielder before they can attempt to make the out—exhibition/sports entertainment type things.
Manfred did clarify that the concept is only in the very early stages of discussion among himself and the owners. Even with how much baseball has changed during Manfred's tenure as commissioner, this may be a step too far.
Regardless of whether this does come to be or not, it is still a fun discussion to have and an interesting exercise to think of who the "Golden Batter" would be for each team.
For Washington, at least for now, it would not take too much time to think before coming to the conclusion of Wood.
