On July 11th, MLB’s brightest stars will all gather in the Pacific Northwest for the 2023 MLB All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, home of the Mariners. Three days prior to the big one — on July 8th — the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game will have center stage. That game is MLBs annual showcase of the best prospects throughout all of baseball.

One of this year’s participants will be Washington Nationals slugger James Wood, who’s making quite an impression in the minors.

 

 

Wood, who stands an imposing 6-foot-6, hits like a bulldozer and runs like a gazelle. In fact, he’s been so impressive in the Nationals’ farm system since the team landed him in the blockbuster trade that sent superstar Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, the belief is he could make an appearance with the big club late this season, or definitely be an everyday member in 2024.

Wood’s progression has drawn praise from Washington Nationals brass who are enamored with his combination of size and skill, such as director of player development De Jon Watson. 

“I’ve never had a player this tall as graceful as he is,” said Watson. 

 

 

Wood Is Nationals No.1 Prospect And No.5 Overall Prospect In MLB

 

Wood who was called up to Double-A Harrisburg in late May, is batting just .236 but he’s also produced four homers, one triple, six doubles and 16 RBI. In 2023, as a whole he’s batting .270 with 13 dingers, 55 RBI and 13 stolen bases. His .897 OPS is one of the highest in the minor leagues. 

Since being taken with the 62nd pick of the 2021 MLB Draft, Wood has a batting average of .304 with 28 long balls, 139 RBI and 43 stolen bases, and a .938 OPS.

One reason for Wood’s success is his ability to understand the strike zone.

Nationals’ manager Davey Martinez raves about Wood’s uncanny ability to dissect the strike zone, which for young hitters is never easy as they advance up the ranks.

 

“He understands the strike zone. The biggest thing for young hitters is understanding what you’re really good at and what you can hit really well. Accepting your walks,” Martinez said. “And he’s done that. The last person we had like that was Soto.”

 

That’s high praise when you consider how Soto is perceived in D.C. and around MLB.

 

Wood Has Been Compared To Yankees Superstar Aaron Judge

 

Because of his size, power, and graceful nature with how he plays the game of baseball, Judge has been compared to New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge, the reigning AL home run king after his 62-homer 2022 season. While Wood understands the comparison he also says their swings are too different for him to really model anything after the Yankees slugger who signed a $360M extension last offseason.

 

 

For the Nationals,  just having a player like Wood in the fold is a good cornerstone piece of their rebuild. And while he may or may not reach the level of Judge as a player, the folks in D.C. no they have a good one.