Nationals Star James Wood Is Working on Important Aspect of His Game With New Coach
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Coming into the offseason, the Washington Nationals weren't at the top of anyone's list when it came to potential storylines that could unfold. But following their decision to hire 35-year-old up-and-coming executive Paul Toboni to become their new president of baseball operations, that all changed.
Toboni has plucked some of the brightest minds away from teams around the league to fill prominent roles in his front office, and that carried over into the coaching staff he built following his decision to hire 33-year-old Blake Butera to become the manager of this franchise.
All of that was put on the back burner in terms of national attention when it became clear the Nationals were listening to offers for MacKenzie Gore. And with teams also pushing to acquire CJ Abrams, all of a sudden, Washington is a key figure this winter.
But it should be remembered that the offseason also gives established players opportunities to work on their game prior to the next campaign getting underway, and James Wood is taking full advantage of that right now with one of his new coaches.
James Wood Working on Defense With New Bench Coach Michael Johns
When thinking of Wood, the first thing that pops into anyone's mind is his head-turning power. That was on full display during the first half of the season, as he went into the All-Star break with 24 home runs hit across 95 games. The 23-year-old's production at the plate dipped in the second half, but there's no doubting what his ceiling is when it comes to what he can do with the bat in his hands.
However, Wood wants to get better on defense, and according Mark Zuckerman of MASN, the star slugger is already working with new bench coach Michael Johns down in Florida to improve that aspect of his game.
"Man, James really wants to be a good outfielder," Johns said to Butera, as relayed by the skipper. "Somebody that young that has had the amount of success he's had with that many home runs, the fact they actually want to work on their pre-pitch and their first step in the outfield in December is pretty cool to see."
James Wood reaches over and brings it back! pic.twitter.com/KQGyzCysdb
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 9, 2025
Wood's advanced numbers weren't kind to him this past season. While he had one defensive run saved, he was also worth minus-seven outs above average and was given a fielding run value of minus-six.
Even getting to the league average would be a huge leap for the star slugger, and it's one that would greatly help this struggling pitching staff if he's able to become at least a solid defender in left field. That's why it's great to hear he's working on his defense.
His second half struggles at the plate could have caused him to hyperfocus on what went wrong on that end. And while he's certainly working on his swing to ensure he gets back to being the first half version of himself, the fact he's already trying to improve his defense at this stage of the offseason is a huge positive for him and the team.
