Washington Nationals Season Hinges on Star Beginning To Realize Immense Potential

For the Washington Nationals to start making strides on the field, they need one of their young stars to start tapping into his potential.

Mar 13, 2025; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Washington Nationals designated hitter James Woods (29) rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run in the first inning against the Tampa Bays Rays during spring training at Charlotte Sports Park. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals know that there is still work to do on the field before they can make a legitimate push for a playoff spot; that is why the team opted to not spend much money this past offseason.

Several veterans were brought in to help raise the team’s floor, providing much-needed leadership and experience to the young roster. But, for the most part, they are short-term fixes and stopgaps.

Pitchers Trevor Williams and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who signed two-year deals worth $14 million and $3.5 million respectively, are the only players that landed multi-year deals from the franchise in free agency.

That game plan, while disappointing for some fans and analysts to see, was the right decision. With so many young players already at the Major League level and even more working their way through the system, clogging the depth chart with older players makes little sense.

What is going to determine how much the Nationals improve in the win-loss column in 2025 compared to 2024 is the development of their young players.

Someone everyone will be keeping a close eye on is left fielder James Wood.

The highly touted youngster made his debut last year on July 1. He struggled out of the gate but was able to make some adjustments throughout his rookie year, showcasing his immense potential.

Wood produced a .264/.354/.427 slash line with nine home runs, 13 doubles, four triples and 14 stolen bases. He had an OPS+  of 122, performing well above average through his first 336 plate appearances.

The combination of size, measuring 6-foot-7, and athleticism is something normally seen on the basketball court. If Washington had not already had defensive whiz Jacob Young handling center field, Wood could handle that spot.

His defense left a lot to be desired as a rookie with a -1.0 dWAR on Baseball Reference and negative numbers in their Total Zone and RDS statistics.

But, it is the bat that the Nationals are hoping he takes the next step with to help elevate this offense as a potential long-term centerpiece.

As MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN shared, a slight adjustment in his swing path could elevate him to All-Star status as soon as this year.

“Of the 343 players who put the ball in play at least 150 times last year, Wood's average launch angle of 2.4 degrees ranked 339th. Should he figure out how to fix that, 22-year-old Wood can turn his deep well of raw talent into an All-Star-caliber player and supercharge a rebuild that's relying on him to be at its center,” he wrote.

Those adjustments look to have already started to be made with Wood producing at a high level during Grapefruit League games.

In 36 plate appearances, he has produced a .344/.417/.844 slash line with eight of his 11 hits going for extra bases; four doubles and four home runs. He has 11 RBI as well, making the hard contact count.

What makes that production all the more impressive is that it has come following quad tendinitis slowing him down early in spring training.

Wood looks poised to truly break out and carry this offense, setting the foundation for the future.