Washington Nationals Top Prospect James Wood Blasts 3rd Home Run of Spring Training
Less than a week into the Washington Nationals' Grapefruit League schedule, top prospect James Wood has already left his mark.
The outfielder hit his third home run of Spring Training on Thursday, taking St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle Gibson yard for a solo shot in the top of the first inning. The bomb came on the heels of Lane Thomas' very own homer, as the two went back-to-back to open the game.
Wood added a single and a strikeout in his next two at-bats of the afternoon.
Six games into Spring Training, Wood is 7-for-14 with three home runs, five RBI, six runs, three walks and two strikeouts. He boasts a 1.731 OPS through 17 plate appearances.
Wood has recorded at least one hit in each of his appearances in the Grapefruit League thus far.
Wood was the San Diego Padres' second round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He was one of several prospects traded to the Nationals in exchange for All-Star sluggers Juan Soto and Josh Bell at the 2022 deadline, alongside shortstop CJ Abrams, starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III and starting pitcher Jarlin Susana.
Through 231 career minor league games, Wood is a .291 hitter with 41 home runs, 175 RBI, 48 stolen bases and a .915 OPS. He made appearances at 2022 and 2023 Spring Training as well, only to go a combined 0-for-7 with a run, a walk and six strikeouts.
Wood is currently ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Nationals' farm system and the No. 14 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline. Baseball America has him ranked No. 11 overall, while Baseball Prospectus has him slotted in at No. 7.
The 6-foot-6, 234-pound 21-year-old finished last season in Double-A, so it is unlikely he is deemed MLB-ready by the time Opening Day rolls around. He is projected to make his big league debut in 2024, though, so it may not be long until Wood is showing off his power at the highest possible level.
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