Washington Nationals Slugger James Wood Speaks Softly, Swings Loud Bat

The Washington Nationals 6-foot-7, 234-pound left fielder speaks softly and politely. He is reluctant to talk about himself.

“He‘s a great kid and he’s almost too nice,” Nationals hitting coach Darnell Coles said with a smile.

Woods coaches from his day at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., also remember him as a humble young man. They recall his days as a prep player when he would pick up all the stray baseballs after taking batting practice in the indoor cages and tell the coaches they did not have to help.

“He‘d always say, ’I‘m the one who hit them,’” said Rich Pasquale, an infield instructor at IMG after a long career as a college coach.

James Wood Off To Strong Start

However, Wood has not been so gentle with opposing pitchers this season. He is hitting .257/.359/.545 with eight home runs in 27 games.

The 22-year-old left-handed hitter has been a bright spot during the Nationals tepid 12-15 start. Wood bats second and he and shortstop/leadoff hitter CJ Abrams give Washington a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup.

Abrams, 24, has a .241/.276/.537 slash line in 14 games with four homers and three stolen bases.

Wood made his major-league debut last July 1 and had a good rookie season, batting .264/.354/.427 with nine homers and 14 steals in 79 games. That portended bigger things in 2025 for Wood and his team.

“You see the maturity this season as a player,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “The good thing about James is that he understands the strike zone. We talked a lot last year about chasing pitches and how you need to get the pitcher to get the ball in the strike zone. Hes starting to get the ball in the zone, and when he does that, he hits the ball hard.”

A case in point came on April 15 when he led off the game with a massive home run in the Nationals‘ 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The ball landed on the concourse behind the seats in right-center field and was measured at 445 feet with an exit velocity of 112.6 mph. It was the longest homer of Wood’s short career.

James Wood Looks For Consistency

However, the length of his home runs doesnt impress Wood. Neither does the volume. Wood is just trying to establish himself as a dependable major-league player.

“It‘s so early and it is a long season, so I’ve got to stay consistent” Wood said. I mean, that‘s what makes the good players in the league so good – they stay consistent. That’s really what Im looking to do.

Washington Nationals James Wood, center, is doused by teammates after getting the winning hit

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“I feel more comfortable this year. I know everyone now and have a better idea of what the major leagues are about, but I have a long way to go.”

Wood and Abrams were part of a six-player package acquired from the San Diego Padres during the 2022 season in a trade for star outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell.

The expectations were high for Wood before he got to the major leagues. Baseball America ranked him as the 11th-best prospect in the game prior to spring training in 2023 and 2024 and Wood played in the All-Star Futures Game each of the past two years.

However, Wood is living up to expectations and should only get better.

“He hits the ball hard and he‘s fun to watch,” Martinez said. But he isn’t just a power hitter. People dont realize how fast he is, but he can really get down the line and when he gets to full speed, he can beat out balls for infield hits.