Washington Nationals Young Star Already Among MLB's Best Players in This Stat
After deciding to start a rebuild when they couldn't defend their World Series title, the Washington Nationals have quietly put together one of the top farm systems in all of baseball.
Filled with plenty of young talent, many of those star prospects have been called up to the MLB.
Dylan Crews is the latest example, earning the promotion in less than two years since he was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2023 MLB draft.
He'll be alongside the Nationals' preseason No. 1 prospect James Wood in the outfield, giving fans an idea of what this young core might look like in the future with fellow young stars C.J. Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. manning second base and shortstop.
When it comes to Wood, he's been beyond advertised.
The 6-foot-7 behemoth of an outfielder has walked into Major League Baseball and immediately produced, putting up a slash line of .289/.379/.458 with five homers, 15 extra-base hits, 30 RBI and an OPS+ 41 points above the league average.
Perhaps the most impressive thing he's doing, though, is in regards to this one statistical category.
According to Jessica Camerato of MLB.com, he's hit 34 balls that traveled over 105 mph since his debut on July 1. That puts him fifth on the Major League list, tied with superstars Shohei Ohtani and Bobby Witt Jr. The only other players ahead of him were Juan Soto (39), Rafael Devers (38), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (37) and Matt Chapman (35).
His 31.5 percent of batted balls traveling at least 105 mph also leads every MLB player during this same span.
Being in the same category as those sluggers is certainly great company to hold, but doing it in his first big league stint is truly remarkable.
"He's pretty special, he really is. He understands what he wants to do. He has a plan every time he goes up there. He doesn't try to do a whole lot. I get to appreciate it because when he does hit the ball the way he does, it's almost like a 'wow' for me because I know what he's really trying to do up there," manager Dave Martinez said.
Considering that Washington's skipper coached Silver Slugger winner Trea Turner, two-time Silver Slugger Anthony Rendon, "Mr. National" Ryan Zimmerman who won two Silver Sluggers, and Soto, who is one of the best players in the game and a four-time Silver Slugger winner, his words should not be taken with a grain of salt.
At just 21 years old, Wood's ceiling is incredibly high and there's a good chance that he not only becomes a face of this franchise, but one of the best players in all of Major League Baseball.
BRAD WAKAI