Can Young Nationals Slugger Earn His First All-Star Nod This Season?
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The Washington Nationals are a team that a lot of people are going to be keeping a close eye on this year because of the emerging young talent that is on the roster.
In their season opening series against the Philadelphia Phillies, their National League East rivals got a first-hand look at what is a rapidly improving starting rotation.
Whatever the Nationals starting pitching is lacking in name recognition, they are making up for in talent.
MacKenzie Gore had a historic start on Opening Day, mowing down the Phillies with 13 strikeouts in six innings. Jake Irvin was solid as the No. 2 and Mitchell Parker was excellent in his season debut on Sunday.
Had the bullpen not imploded when called upon, the Nationals could have came away from the series opener with at least two wins, if not a series sweep.
The bullpen wasn’t the only disappointment from the three-game set, though, as their young star, James Wood, also struggled to get going.
He was 2-for-12 with a walk and one double, striking out seven times.
That wasn't quite the start he or the team was hoping for, especially after he performed at such a high level during spring training following a very successful rookie campaign.
One series isn’t going to change his outlook, as Wood is still regarded as one of the brightest young stars in the game. If he can take the next level in his development, he is going to help Washington ascend in the standings this year and going forward.
“Wood struggled defensively in his first taste of big-league action, but he’s armed with all five tools. He’s long been touted as a future All-Star and the future is now,” wrote Tim Capurso of Sports Illustrated.
As a rookie, defense was the only part of the game that Wood truly struggled with.
He was a liability in left field, but his athleticism and baseball IQ are too high for him to not improve and get the job done with the glove.
Once that comes around, he will fulfill the five-tool assessments that so many people have given to him.
Standing 6-foot-7, he possesses Herculean power potential that will shine through as his body fills out. Once he starts getting the ball into the air with more regularity, after recording a 55.1% ground ball rate and lowly 18.2% fly ball rate as a rookie, his numbers will start to increase.
Along with that power potential, Wood is a threat on the basepaths.
He was caught stealing eight times as a rookie, but he has some 30/30 seasons and All-Star nods in his future.
Once he starts performing that way, the rest of the lineup will follow suit.
