After rolling through Triple-A, the Nationals are reportedly promoting James Wood to the Majors next week. The move denotes a step forward in Washington’s rebuild and a move that could help the Nats in the short term, given Washington’s issues generating power out of their lineup.
A Look at Wood
The Nationals made a blockbuster trade in the summer of 2022 when the team traded Juan Soto to the Padres. The Soto deal netted the Nats CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore, two key pieces of Washington’s future. However, James Wood could wind up being the best piece from that trade.
Wood hit very well in 2022, which he spent largely at Low-A. The 2021 second-round pick hit .313 (.956 OPS) with 12 home runs and 20 stolen bases that year, before a massive 2023 campaign that saw him belt 62 extra-base hits, along with 18 swipes.
This season with Rochester, Wood hit .346/.458/.578 with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases over 51 games.
Wood is a hard-contact machine. Per Statcast, Wood is third in Triple-A in batted balls (36) hit with at least 105 MPH of exit velocity. The only two players with more at the level are Pedro Leon and Jhonkensy Noel, both of whom saw significantly more pitches than the Nationals outfielder. The reason is that Wood missed three weeks on the IL, before he came off on June 18.
The 21-year-old, standing at 6’7”, has plus natural power, which helped him drill 26 home runs last season and could lead him to be a 30-home run hitter at the MLB level.
Scouting reports indicate that Wood struggled with breaking stuff before 2023. However, that’s been less of an issue in 2024. This season at Triple-A, the 21-year-old owned just a 29.3% Whiff% rate against breaking balls, good considering how others have issues with sliders and curveballs.
Defensively, Wood played left and center in Rochester and could be an Aaron Judge-like center field. He does have better speed than Judge, although the large stature that Wood possesses could mean the Nationals slot him in a corner long-term.
Per reports, James Wood will join the Nationals and make his MLB debut on July 1.
Analysis
Before anything, let’s take a look at the long-term ramifications of calling up Wood.
The Nationals will very likely keep Wood under team control for six seasons after 2024, as it’ll be hard for him — but not impossible — to win the NL Rookie of the Year or finish in second. And since he’s coming up in July, the odds of him being eligible for Super-Two are next to near zero.
Now, the move does give Wood a chance to play for a competing team in Washington. The Nationals stand just three games out of a Wild Card spot as of June 28. And given Washington entered play on the 28th in 26th place in SLG (.367), the slugger could be of help.
And for Nationals fans, the 21-year-old may not be the only star outfielder headed to D.C. soon. Dylan Crews, the second overall pick in 2023, is in Rochester and belted two home runs and four extra-base hits over his first nine games at the level.
Fantasy Outlook
We highlighted Wood as a fantasy asset last month. The 21-year-old has incredible plus power and surprisingly good speed for a player of his size. He’s the kind of player who fits the mold of the likes of Elly De La Cruz and Oneil Cruz.
An outfielder with at least 25-25 potential at the MLB level, Wood can be a coup for those who pick him up, so long as he lays off the breaking stuff.
Wood is owned in nearly 30% of Yahoo! leagues already, so hustle to it.