Nationals Emerging Star Has Been Franchise MVP So Far This Season

Who has been the MVP for the Washington Nationals so far this season?

May 18, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) hits an RBI single against the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Despite not seeing the results that the team might have been looking for to start the season, the Washington Nationals do have a few bright spots so far in 2025.

With the rebuild for the Nationals taking quite a bit of time, the hope was that this year was finally going to be different for the franchise.

During the winter, Washington spent some money on veterans that they hoped would help begin to support the young core and improve the team. However, a lot of their new additions haven’t worked out, and some of the talented prospects are having some early growing pains.

However, even though the wins might not be coming yet, the franchise has seen a couple of players developing nicely.

Who Has Been Best Player for Nationals This Season?

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about James Wood being the team MVP for the Nationals so far this season.

“CJ Abrams is also having an excellent season as the other half of this two-man offense, but Wood has been arguably the second-biggest breakout star of this MLB season behind Pete Crow-Armstrong," he wrote.

In 2024, Washington called up the talented outfielder during the summer to get him a taste of the Majors. Wood ended up playing about a half of season and proved that he was ready to be a fixture for the franchise.

Last year, he slashed .264/.354/.427 with nine home runs, 41 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. The young slugger proved that he was more than capable, and he came into this campaign seeking a breakout season.

So far, that has been the case for the 22-year-old. This year, Wood has slashed .283/.376/.551 with 14 home runs, 37 RBI, and seven stolen bases.

The new young star of the Nationals is trending toward being an All-Star this season, and could very well become a superstar in the not-to-distant future.

Even though he is having a great year and is certainly the team MVP thus far, he has a strong running mate in CJ Abrams. It was just in the last campaign that Abrams was thought to be the next star of the franchise.

While he is playing very well, it is Wood who has been able to edge him out in most offensive categories.

Despite the standings not showing it just yet, both Wood and Abrams are proving to be All-Star caliber players for the franchise. Now, Washington must continue to grow the young talent around them and big to make a splash or two in free agency.