Washington Nationals Star Outfielder Has Ingredients To Continue Breaking Out
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There are a lot of reasons to be excited about the future of the Washington Nationals, as they got a glimpse of what the future could look like during the 2024 season.
One of the players who quickly cemented himself as a foundational piece was left fielder James Wood.
Acquired as part of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade from the San Diego Padres, he made his much-anticipated Major League debut on July 1.
An adjustment period was needed, as Wood struggled out of the gate. But, he showed why he was such a highly regarded prospect as he quickly figured things out, showing off a high baseball IQ.
Wood ended up playing in 79 games, making 336 plate appearances. He recorded a slash line of .264/.354/.427, stuffing the stat sheet with nine home runs, 13 doubles and four triples.
Despite a .245/.333/.357 slash line over his first month as a Major Leaguer, with well below-average advanced stats such as OPS+, he finished the year with an OPS+ of 122 and Rbat+ of 124.
He was a legitimate difference-maker at the plate, recording a 1.8 oWAR. What held down his total WAR of 1.1 was underwhelming defense.
Wood has the talent and athleticism to play a solid left field, but it did not translate early in his MLB career with a -1.0 dWAR. That will hopefully change as he gets more reps, but at least the Nationals have a center fielder in Jacob Young who is capable of covering for some of his left fielder’s shortcomings.
What can Washington fans expect as an encore in 2025?
Based on some key metrics shared by Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required), Wood has all the right ingredients to pick up where he left off in 2024 and take his production to the next level.
His strikeout rate is a bit concerning at 28.9%, but he has a good grasp of the strike zone with an 11.6% walk rate. Standing 6’7”, there will naturally be some holes in his swing that he needs to compensate for.
One way to do that is to avoid chasing pitches outside the zone.
That is an area Wood excels in, as his Z-O of 32% shared by Sarris is tied for the second best amongst the projected breakout candidates along with Alek Thomas of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
And when swinging at those pitches in the zone, Wood punishes the ball.
He has a max exit velocity of 111.6 mph was actually one of the lower ones on the breakout list, but his hard hard-hit rate of 52% was No. 1.
His developments haven’t fully been on display yet as he deals with tendinitis in his right quad, which has limited him in spring training. Wood has been able to swing, as there is no pain when he is in the batter’s box, but was cleared only for some light running late last week.
Once he is cleared for full activity, he should be able to put on a show during Grapefruit League games.
