Washington Nationals Outfielder Ranked Among Best Rookies in Baseball
The Washington Nationals were able to have a solid season based on their expectations going into 2024, as they saw a lot of growth as an organization.
The Nationals might not have had a ton of wins in 2024, but the team took a nice step forward, led by a lot of their young players. This campaign was always going to be about development, and that’s exactly what occurred.
Washington was able to further identify some key players as pieces for the future, as this year was highlighted by the growth of CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. on the field. The talented middle of the infield for the Nationals resulted in Abrams making the All-Star team and Garcia having a career-year.
In addition to those two becoming very good players, Washington also had some rookies make their debuts, one of which being James Wood.
The big outfielder had a strong rookie season, and recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report ranked him as the 32nd best rookie in 2024.
“Wood was the prospect centerpiece of the blockbuster deal that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, and after emerging as one of the top prospects in baseball in 2023, he forced his way into the MLB picture just a few days after his 22nd birthday on July 1. With an athletic 6'7", 234-pound frame, he has as much offensive upside as any young player in the game, and he hit .264/.354/.427 for a 122 OPS+ with 26 extra-base hits and 14 steals in 79 games.”
Wood came up this summer and made a solid impact for the Nationals, as he played in 79 games and didn’t have too many lulls in performance that rookies sometimes have.
In his rookie season, Wood totaled a .264 batting average, nine home runs, 41 RBI, 13 doubles, and 14 stolen bases. Considering his size, the young prospect should develop into a player with a lot of power in the next couple of years, but what was really impressive was his ability to run the bases as well.
As he heads into 2025, Wood seems like he could be a 30-30 type of player as his power comes along in the big leagues.
Even though the ranking of 32nd might feel a touch low, he only played about half of a season for the Nationals, and there were a ton of great rookies this year.
