1 day Ago
Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood possesses the kind of intimidating size that hints toward gargantuan power potential . Standing 6-foot-7, he towers over most of his peers on the field. Oozing with potential, he showcased a glimpse of what he was capable of after being promoted to the big league team in 2024.
He played in 79 games, making 336 plate appearances and more than holding his own. After taking some time to adjust at the very beginning, he found his footing and cemented this status as the everyday left fielder for the foreseeable future. Wood produced a .
264/.354/.427 slash line with an OPS+ of 122 and 1.
1 WAR. He had nine home runs, 13 doubles, four triples and 14 stolen bases, putting his unique blend of power, speed and athleticism on full display. A successful debut for sure, but he has not even scratched the surface of what he is capable of doing at only 22 years old.
He has already received some incredibly high praise from analysts when forecasting the level he could take his production to. Still very early in his career, he is already looking to meet those lofty expectations with a strong start to the 2025 campaign. Through 30 games and only 132 plate appearances, he has already matched his home run total from his rookie season with nine.
Wood has also hit seven doubles, recorded a 1.0 WAR and OPS+ of 158. He is tapping into that power potential with a slash line of .
257/.364/.558.
A slight drop in his strikeout rate is encouraging, and his walk rate has been on the rise compared to his rookie year, as well. The hot start has Wood already on the radar for some accolades this year, receiving votes to be a member of the All-MLB Team in 2025 after the first month of the season, as shared by Jason Foster of MLB.com .
He didn’t make the cut for the First or Second-Team, but was one of the six players other players who received votes. Competition is stiff for a spot with several established superstars and several great young players also emerging around the league. Wood has the talent to keep up with his peers, and based on some of the numbers he has produced, this isn’t close to his final form.
The increase in power production has been impressive, but how he is accomplishing it is hard to fathom. His ground ball rate is still an astronomical 59.1%, which is higher than the number he produced as a rookie.
While his 24.1% fly ball rate is an improvement upon the 18.2% last year, it is still below the league average of 24.
7%. Another shocking number about his power output is that he isn’t pulling the ball to generate those numbers. Normally, pull swings are where players produce the most, but not Wood.
He is pulling the ball only 18.2% of the time, while the MLB average is 30.3%.
Wood is tied for the second-most home runs in baseball with nine, despite more than half of them being to left center and left field. With elite bat speed, hard-hit rate, barrel rate and exit velocity numbers, per Baseball Savant , his production will remain elite and have him in consideration for plenty of accolades and awards. Recommended Articles.
