Rising Superstar Predicted To Be Face of Nationals Franchise in 2028
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This season has been a disappointment for the Washington Nationals overall.
While they weren't expected to compete for a division title or even make the playoffs this year, there was some hope that improvement on the field would take place after they had won 71 games in back-to-back seasons.
But the Nationals have taken a major step back this year, sitting with 50 wins entering Tuesday that puts them on pace to finish with a worse record than they had in 2023 and 2024. And considering the number of their former top prospects on this roster, that is a worrying sign.
It hasn't all been negative for Washington this season, though. In the midst of the overall disappointment, it's been great to see MacKenzie Gore turn into a bona fide ace and CJ Abrams follow up his All-Star campaign last year with another solid showing.
However, the emergence of James Wood has been the most promising thing that's come out of this season for the Nationals, with him looking like a true future superstar of the sport despite the struggles he's had in the second half.
James Wood Predicted To Be Face of Nationals in 2028
Because of that, it shouldn't be a surprise that Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report predicted the slugger will be the face of the franchise in 2028.
"... still destined for something in the vicinity of 30 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Should he reach both of those plateaus, he'd be the first Nat to do so since Alfonso Soriano's legendary 40/40 campaign in 2006," he wrote.
There's no doubt that Wood has the ceiling to put up monster numbers, evident by what he's done in just his first full season in the Majors with a slash line of .258/.355/.479, 25 home runs, 80 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 122 games.
Washington is going to primarily use him as the designated hitter for the rest of the year, giving him more days off his feet after he has been a stalwart in the lineup to start his career, rarely ever missing a game.
For Wood to hit the 30-home run and 20-stolen bases mark like Miller pointed out, he's going to need his power to come back in a major way, with only one longball hit across 27 games following the Midsummer Classic.
Hopefully the shift to DH helps him find his swing again, and it also allows him to steal more bases so he can have an incredible first full season in the MLB as the brightest part of this roster going forward.
