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Jul 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo looks on before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

How Miguel Cairo Might Have Changed Season's Trajectory for Nationals Rising Star

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 7:00 PM ET

It has not been a fun year for the Washington Nationals.

On paper, it looked like they might have an exciting, young roster for the 25th anniversary of the franchise's existence. But despite some bright spots, the overall results of the team on the field have remained the same.

Still, those bright spots have been bright.

MacKenzie Gore looks like the team's ace of the future. CJ Abrams is following up his 2024 All-Star selection with another solid year. And James Wood has truly emerged as a potential superstar in the game.

However, following the Midsummer Classic when the slugging outfielder competed in the Home Run Derby, he hasn't quite looked the same.

After slashing .278/.381/.534 before the break, he has been a shell of himself since, which has been a shocking decline from someone who looked like his career was on the rise.

Perhaps the most alarming thing has been the lack of power for Wood.

With 24 home runs leading into the All-Star Game, he looked well on his way to putting together a 40-homer season in his first full year in the bigs. But that is in jeopardy now because of the slump he's been going through.

Thankfully, it seems like Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo pushed the right button to get him back on track.

Cairo Moved Wood Into Leadoff Spot

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The move was made this past Friday ahead of Washington's series against the San Francisco Giants, and it worked exceptionally well.

Wood went 5-for-14 with a leadoff home run, four doubles and six RBI, a massive turnaround compared to what he had done up to that point in the second half with no homers and just two doubles in the 18 games prior.

This was a welcome sight for Nationals fans, as is what he did in the next series.

Remaining in the leadoff spot, Wood produced against the Kansas City Royals as well, going 5-for-14 with a walk and an RBI where one of those hits was a double.

According to Andrew Golden of The Washington Post (subscription required), Cairo decided to move wood into the leadoff spot believing he would see more fastballs with Abrams behind him.

But there's also a clear gameplan in place where both Wood and Washington's coaching staff are working on getting him to chase pitchers less often.

"I've just been chasing a lot more," Wood said, per Golden. "That's the biggest thing. Once I get that back down, swinging at the right stuff, taking better swings on better pitches, I'll be back to where I need to be."

What's interesting is that his turnaround series against the Giants also featured two three-strikeout games, both coming in contests where he hit a double and a homer and two doubles, respectively.

Against the Royals, he struck out only once but had notably less power with just one extra-base hit.

Finding the perfect balance will be key for Wood, but it's not something the Nationals should be overly concerned about at this stage of his career considering how good of a hitter he has shown to be with just one full season's worth of big league games under his belt at 22 years old.