From July 1, when he made his MLB debut at the age of 21 until the end of the season, James Wood, who was the Washington Nationals’ top prospect at the beginning of the season, “ranked among major league rookies” in stolen bases (1st, 14th). ), walks (2nd, 39), hits (3rd, 78), and on-base percentage (3rd, .354). ”
The 22-year-old outfielder has appeared in 79 games and 336 at-bats in the majors, posting a 1.2 fWAR and a .264/.354/.427 batting average with 13 doubles, four triples, and nine home runs.
Wood had 78 hits in 79 games, total hits, total walks, and AVG/OBP/SLG. [pacing] Nationals from July 1 until the end of the season,” the club said in its 2024 season review.
“His 39 walks during this period were tied for seventh in the National League,” the Nats noted, adding, “As of July 27, Wood was third in the National League with an on-base percentage of .383 (62 H, 32 BB, HBP). It is ranked in the top.” until the end of the season,” and “…during that period, he reached base safely in a career-high 14 consecutive games from August 28 to September 13.”
Wood had a 15-game hitting streak in early July, and while we’re talking about hitting streaks, he “…made it safely in 17 of his last 23 games: 23 hits in 79 at bats (.291). ), 3 2B hits, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 6 BB, 13 R.”
The rookie outfielder hit four of nine home runs in 13 consecutive games in mid-September, something he and captain Davey Martinez said was Wood’s tendency when locked into the at-bat.
“This is what happened in Triple-A,” Wood said in September, after a nearly month-long period without a home run ended in a two-homer game.
“You try not to [think about it]” Wood said of not hitting a single ball in 23 games.
“I think it’s just a timing issue. Right now, once he gets the ball in the strike zone, he needs to pull the trigger more,” Davey Martinez said that night.
“He did that today. And he hit them high and far. That bodes well for him. And, like I said, hopefully he’ll be here for the next 10 days or so.” Keep doing it and you’ll end up stronger.”
The difference when Wood is hitting the ball hard (Similar to his time in the major leagues, he ranked 14th in barrel % among major leaguers with 300 PA or more per year, and was 10th in adjusted exit velocity at 97.0, far behind Giancarlo Stanton’s adjusted EV value of 99.2 as the MLB leader. do not have.) and hit a home run?
“He was catching the ball really well. He stayed in the middle of the field, which was great,” Martinez said.
“So let’s see if we can keep him there until the end of the year and he’ll hit a few more for us.”
“He was able to come back early, stay in the middle and raise the ball in a good way. For me, if he can stay there, I can see him doing the same here often in the future. “I guess.”
Martinez told reporters during Wood’s time in the majors that he was impressed with the way the young outfielder carried himself and handled himself at the plate.
“He has a plan every time he goes there. He doesn’t try to do too much. And I appreciate that, because when he hits the ball the way he does , because it’s almost like, “Wow!” For me,” Martinez said. He’s not just trying to hit a home run. He’s trying to stay in the middle of the field and just trying to focus on hitting the ball hard and driving the ball, and when he does that, he hits the ball really hard. I’m so grateful to him because people don’t realize it’s always an adjustment. Adjustments are needed in this league. They’re trying to adjust to you, and he’s always adjusting, and I can see that he’s done that.
“He’s going to go through some spurts because he’s young, but he’s special, he really is. And he’s going to be good.”
The biggest adjustment Wood made in response to the pitcher’s attacking style?
“That was it. One, he didn’t hit his fastball very well in the minor leagues, but once he got here he had to sometimes adjust to the way they pitched, and he was able to do that. Got it done. The other day we saw him turn the ball on and vice versa. He was hitting a lot of changeups early on and adjusting the ball up. We want him to be aggressive, but be aggressive in the strike zone, and you’ll see he’s a lot more patient and going down a little bit better. Obviously, he’s still going to chase some balls, but his tone between at-bats and the way he approaches each at-bat is a lot better, so like I said, all the new teams he’s going to play against. It’s different for him. He’s never seen that pitch. He watches video and studies a lot. I’ve been watching him since before he goes to bat. I’m watching to see what I’m doing and I’m also watching how they pitch C.J. [Abrams] And other left-handed hitters can make similar adjustments. ”
After watching Wood in the majors for several months, GM and Director of Baseball Ops Mike Rizzo told Audacity Sports Junkies that the young star has “unlimited potential.”
“I think he has the potential to be a really good impact player for us. I’ll leave it at that,” Rizzo said.
“I think he’s going to be a really good player for us in the middle of the lineup, and he’s going to be a player that will positively impact the game for us in all aspects of the ball: baserunning, offense, defense and in the clubhouse.” .
“I think we have a really good, special player and it’s going to be fun to watch him play his career here.”
