The future for the Washington Nationals is very bright. One of the key pieces of that future is slugger James Wood. The 6-foot-7, 240-power hitter, whose size, skill and raw power has drawn comparisons to New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge, has been a standout minor league performer since he arrived in the Juan Soto trade in 2022.
In that trade, the Nationals landed their current shortstop MLBbro C.J. Adams and the aforementioned Wood. Wood is bombing away with the club’s Triple-A affiliate, Rochester. Last week alone Wood had multiple two-homer games, and Nationals brass can’t wait to see these two together daily with the Nationals. While that may happen sometime this season, right now Wood is continuing to perfect his skills as he awaits his call up.
CJ Abrams Becoming An All-Star This Season
Abrams is tearing it up in the big leagues, leading the club in homers (7), second in batting average (.277) and tied for first in RBI with (20). The skilled shortstop also leads them in runs (25) and hits (41).
Wood Stays Burning Despite Step Up In Competition
After shredding pitching at the Single-A and Double-A level, Wood hasn’t missed a beat at the Triple-A, in fact he may he even better. In his last five games the power-hitting Wood has gone a blistering 6-11 with five homers and 12 RBI. That’s just part of his amazing season thus far where he boasts a slash line of .349/.448/.597 with seven homers, 23 RBI and 31 runs scored.
Woods’ insane power often overshadows Showing his versatility and athleticism. He’s also stolen nine bases in 11 attempts in his first 33 games. He’s been so good that Nationals brass have had to show some real patience in keeping him down at the Triple-A level and also the fans and media have been calling for Wood to join the Washington Nationals’ Band of Bros for months now.
James Wood Has A Disciplined Pro Routine
For Wood and any hitter, it’s all about his approach and how he prepares each day. Sticking to a routine that works for that player is vital to any success, and per Rochester Red Wings manager Matthew LeCroy that’s one trait Wood has exhibited since his arrival to Triple-A.
“His approach is center to left-center field, and he stays on the ball extremely well. I don’t see him having trouble with lefties at all. He got hold of a slider that the guy made a mistake on and kept it fair. This is what good players do. They’re able to hit and it doesn’t matter if it’s lefty or righty. I’m really excited that we were able to get Woody in our organization because he’s really, at some point, going to help our team in the big leagues.”
LeCroy is sharing the same sentiments that Nationals brass has believed since Wood was dealt here in the aforementioned blockbuster deal for Juan Soto.
Wood Displays Mentality Of A Savvy Vet
Baseball is hard, and it’s also a sport where hitters go through droughts, and Wood is no different. But, what is different is how Wood handles those tough moments, and it’s something that LeCroy believes is a real sign of maturity. He told reporters this about his star pupil.
“Sometimes with a young kid, if they get in a big hole, they have a hard time. But even if James did, with his makeup and mentality, he’s not going to panic. And I think that’s what’s gonna make him a really, really good big leaguer. … He has the ability to slow the game down, which is really hard for a lot of players, and especially hard for younger players. He plays the game the right way. He just needs to continue to get the experience here.”
Can’t wait to watch Wood hit homers at Nationals Park when he’s called up. He’s quickly becoming my favorite baseball player.
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