Nationals Star James Wood Discusses How He's Going to Improve His Defense

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood wants to take his game to the next level.

James Wood of the Washington Nationals | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2026 season, there is a clear budding superstar on this Washington Nationals roster.

James Wood -- who turned heads during the first half of the campaign last year when he blasted 24 home runs -- has the ceiling to not only be the clear best player on the Nationals, but one of the best power hitters in all of baseball.

But since he's only 23, Wood could turn into one of the best outfielders in the sport if he improves his defense, which is something he has worked on throughout the winter after finishing last season worth minus-seven in outs above average.

James Wood Says Preparation Will Be Key for Improving His Defense

James Wood of the Washington Nationals | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"Preparation," Wood said, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com, when asked about what will improve his defense. "Being ready every pitch, having a plan every pitch, a lot of pre-step stuff. And once you make a read, trusting your read and going after the ball."

New bench coach Michael Johns already started working with Wood this offseason at IMG Academy. Johns previously helped coach outfielders during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, so having those two establish a relationship while tinkering with Wood's defensive approach is a positive.

Manager Blake Butera echoed the statement made by Wood about improving his preparation, saying, "With how big he is, you wouldn't expect him to run as well as he does. So I think for him, it's reading balls off the bat a tick faster, and really trusting his routes and basically turning those routes into more efficient routes. He has good hands, he can get off the ball pretty good. I think his biggest thing is just trusting what he's seeing."

Improved Defense Should Help Nationals Pitching Staff

Red Washington Nationals hat on top of a brown mitt | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Wood believes that improved team defense will help the Nationals pitchers. Last year, the staff's cumulative ERA was 5.35, but their expected ERA was 4.82. Taking it even further, Washington's FIP -- which measures what pitchers can solely control -- was 4.72. So it's clear poor defense played a role in the struggles of the staff.

"I think that's one way as a team we can take a big leap. I know the pitchers will appreciate that a lot. Not only just swinging the bat better as a team, but overall defensively as a team trying to help our guys out," Wood stated.

Seeing how the 23-year-old performs on the defensive side of things this year will be interesting. The majority of attention is always going to be on how Wood performs at the plate. But with improved defense, he could turn into one of the best all-around outfielders in the sport and reach that superstar status.