Washington Nationals' Imposing Outfielder Primed for Breakout Season
It has been a busy couple of weeks lately for the Washington Nationals, who are starting to see their team take shape for next season.
Despite a quiet start to the offseason, the Nationals have been very busy adding veterans to their squad around the holidays.
Coming into the winter, there was a lot of excitement surrounding Washington. For the most part, this is a team that has money to spend after several bad contracts came off the books. Also, they have an intriguing young core to build around.
There was reason to believe that this would have been the offseason that they looked to make a major splash or two in free agency, but instead, they have looked to add veterans on mostly one-year deals to help bolster the team for 2025.
As the franchise heads into next season, all eyes will be on the development of the young core. In 2024, CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. took big steps forward. Now, Washington will be hoping to see the same from the next wave.
Jessica Camerato of MLB.com recently chose outfielder James Wood as the player who would have a breakout season for the Nationals in 2025. She highlighted his success in the second half of the season and wrote about what a full campaign could look like for the slugger.
“So what can he do in his first full season? The production for the 6-foot-7 outfielder could be very exciting," she wrote. "ZiPS projections predict that Wood will lead the Nationals in offense with a .265/.351/.456 slash line, 137 hits, 20 home runs, 76 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a 127 OPS+”
It was an excellent rookie year for Wood after being called up in July. In 79 games, the slugger totaled a .264 batting average, nine home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a .364 on-base percentage.
At 6-7 and just 22 years old, the talented outfielder is only going to get strong as his body develops. However, he is already showing some elite-level athleticism in the majors.
After a great half of a season last year, the argument could be made that Wood already might have had a “breakout season.” However, without a full campaign under his belt, he is primed to shine in 2025.
While he is far from a finished product in the field or at the plate, seeing the type of success that he did at his age is rare in the majors. To take the next step forward as a player, the slugger will have to cut down on the strikeouts, as he totaled 97 last year. Also, improving in the field would be beneficial for the team.
With a lot of good young players to choose from on the team, Wood feels like someone who could separate himself from the rest in 2025.
