Washington’s James Wood Was Blazing Fast in His MLB Debut

Wood is fast off the bat and on the base paths.

James Wood celebrates his first career MLB hit. / Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

James Wood made an immediate impression during his MLB debut on Monday night. While the Nationals lost to the Mets, Wood singled in his very first at-bat and later showed how dangerous he will be on the base paths.

In the second inning Wood hit a 3-2 pitch into the outfield for his first career hit. It was a 106.7-mph rocket into left field that he celebrated with his teammates by shaking his hips towards the dugout. While Woods had only been with the big league team for a few hours having just been called up, they appear to have spent quite a bit of time preparing him in case he actually got a hit.

To the delight of his teammates, when he did get a hit, his hips did not lie.

james wood is Coachable™️ pic.twitter.com/Grp6Jxevst

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 2, 2024

Wood struck out in his second at-bat and grounded out in his third, but was able to reach base again in the ninth inning using his blazing speed. Wood chopped one off home plate that didn't travel far and he just about beat the throw to first. Because of his hustle down the line, the first baseman was unable to make the catch and the ball went into foul territory. Once Wood located the ball he took off for second and beat that throw.

James Wood turns on the jets 💨

MLB's No. 2 overall prospect utilizes a 30.4 ft/sec sprint speed as he reaches on an error and moves to 2nd for the @Nationals. pic.twitter.com/nY3OUapgWY

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 2, 2024

He should be fun to watch this season.