Former MLB Executive Believes Washington Nationals Will Have All-Star Starter

A Washington Nationals star deserves to start for the NL All-Star Team as a former MLB executive has predicted.

Jun 3, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) hits a RBI sacrifice fly against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at Nationals Park. | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have a few legitimate building blocks on their roster who will be the foundation of the team for years to come.

Arguably, their best player is left fielder James Wood, who has quickly become one of the most feared left-handed hitters in baseball.

Acquired in the Juan Soto blockbuster trade from the San Diego Padres, he has wasted no time living up to the lofty expectations that were placed on him as a former second-round pick.

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He carries immense potential, standing 6-foot-7, possessing a unique blend of power and speed. Flashes were shown during his rookie campaign in 2024, when he had a rough patch to start his career, but he picked up on things rather quickly.

In 336 plate appearances, he had a .264/.354/.427 slash line with nine home runs, 13 doubles, four triples, 41 RBI and 14 stolen bases, resulting in an OPS+ of 122 and 1.1 bWAR.

That was a solid showing for sure as a rookie, but Wood has already surpassed most of those numbers in 2025, in his first full year as an MLB player.

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In just 273 plate appearances, he has already launched 16 home runs with 16 doubles, knocking in 45 runs and stealing nine bases. He has increased his walk rate and decreased his strikeout rate, exactly what a team wants to see from an improving young player.

To this point, Wood has recorded a .278/.374/.551 slash line and 162 OPS+ with a 2.7 bWAR.

That production is enough that Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) has predicted he will be a starter for the National League in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game.

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“Wood leads all left fielders in WAR, OPS (.951) and home runs (16). He’s also stolen nine bases. He’s the next Nationals superstar, and it will be interesting to see whether they’ll be able to sign him long term, something they weren’t able to do previously with Bryce Harper or Juan Soto,” the former MLB executive wrote.

When a franchise trades away a transcendent talent, such as the Nationals did with Soto, they can only hope that one of the players they acquire in the trade package comes near that level of play.

Washington is fortunate to have landed one, as Wood is a bona fide superstar at just 22 years old, only scratching the surface of his incredible potential.

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