This Nationals Player Is Projected to Lead the Team in WAR This Season

The Washington Nationals will be led by young star players still attempting to find their place in Major League Baseball this season.

As a rebuilding organization, it appears like that is going to be the case for years to come. However, there should be long-term benefits that come from this approach if many in the crop are able to reach their high ceilings.

James Wood, CJ Abrams, Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and others will be tasked with getting things back on track for this franchise, which almost assuredly won't happen during the 2026 campaign. But that doesn't mean individuals can't put together great seasons. And per FanGraphs' projections, there is one player who is expected to lead this team in fWAR.

Budding Superstar James Wood Projected to Lead Nationals in WAR

James Wood of the Washington Nationals | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

He is projected to have an fWAR of 3.1. That is a solid number for someone who will finish his second full campaign of major league action at the end of the year, especially considering he will spend almost the entire season at the age of 23.

FanGraphs projected he would finish the 2025 campaign with an fWAR of 3.1, which is a number he surpassed when he put up a figure of 3.3. So if the trend continues, then he'll have another year where he exceeds expectations. However, what's notable is they don't think he'll reach the 30-home run mark this season, as they have him finishing with 27 longballs to go along with 84 RBIs.

JAMES WOOD HITS TWO DINGERS 💥

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/RJZXQnapGa
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 9, 2025

There have been hints suggesting Wood is going to change his approach at the plate so he can reduce his strikeout numbers -- a statistic he led the majors in last year. If that's the case, then a less overall aggressive approach could result in lower power numbers.

But with less chasing and a better understanding of his strike zone that puts more pressure on opposing pitchers, then there's also a chance he hits even more home runs than he did in 2025. Either way, it's a good sign to see Wood projected to lead Washington in fWAR. He has the highest ceiling on this roster and has to continue his ascent in the sport as an integral part of this rebuild.

Rest of Top 5 in Projections Feature Familiar Names

Daylen Lile of the Washington Nationals | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Unsurprisingly, CJ Abrams is just behind Wood in the fWAR projections. He is forecasted to finish with a figure of 2.9, which is the same as he was given prior to 2025 getting underway. This past season, though, he surpassed that projection when he finished with a 3.1 fWAR after hitting 19 home runs and stealing 31 bases. FanGraphs thinks he'll put up similar numbers, as they have him down for 20 blasts and 30 steals.

Third, fourth and fifth in the projections are Dylan Crews, Luis Garcia Jr. and Daylen Lile, respectively. Seeing them believe Crews will produce a 2.1 fWAR campaign with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs to his name is a great sign when it comes to his potential offensive production. He has a chance to surpass that assigned fWAR number with his elite defense, too.

Also great day to talk about how Dylan Crews can’t let his struggles at the plate affect other parts of his game like defense… pic.twitter.com/BXUN5TwuWL
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) April 2, 2025

Garcia was projected to finish with a 1.6 fWAR season, while Lile was projected to have a 1.4. Based on the way Lile performed down the stretch last year, it's hard to believe his number will be so low. But he has to prove what he did is repeatable and his poor defense could hurt him. As for Garcia, that would be a solid bounce back season after his fWAR was 0.7 in 2025.

Hopefully all these Nationals players are able to meet these projections and even exceed them since that would be a great sign about the health of this current roster's future while they wait for the other star minor leaguers to join them in The Show.