Nationals 'Freakishly Talented' Outfielder Strides Into Hitter Power Rankings Top 10

The Washington Nationals have had the benefit of having some of the best young talent in baseball in the past 15 years and now have yet another budding superstar on their hands.

Following in the footsteps of Bryce Harper and Juan Soto, Nationals outfielder James Wood looks like one of the best hitters in the sport before he can even buy a car.

MLB.com's Andrew Simon recently released the latest edition of the hitter power rankings and Wood slid in at No. 9 on the list after not being ranked previously.

It's an extra honor to make it on this list as it is based on a formula and what the numbers say, not just a popularity contest.

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"Wood has played the equivalent of one full season since debuting last July 1, and he's hit .273/.366/.495 with 31 homers and 104 RBI in that time, as one of the youngest players in the league," said Simon.

The 22-year-old has improved upon last year in almost every category. He's hitting more home runs, drawing more walks, striking out less and even playing better defense.

It's normally unwise to overreact about young players, but Wood seems to be about as sure of a thing as there is.

Through 81 games this year, he has yet to miss a game, he has posted a .277/.373/.554 slash line with 22 home runs and 63 RBI. That's even coming off of a couple of games without a hit.

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Wood has one of the fastest swings in baseball, has an elite barrel rate, generates great exit velocity and is great at drawing walks. There is nothing about his game that screams fluke.

If Washington was waiting on another superstar to emerge before going all in again, they have found the perfect player to sit in the middle of their lineup for the foreseeable future.

It would be heartbreaking to see this play out again like Soto and Harper did. Wood should be cornerstone of this franchise for the next decade-plus.

It is a bit ironic seeing as though Wood was brought in as a part of the trade that sent Soto away to the San Diego Padres.

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That deal continues to look better and better for the Nationals, which is shocking considering the player that they shipped away.

If this season is any sign of things to come, Washington will have gotten both their future offensive centerpiece in Wood and a potential ace in MacKenzie Gore from that deal.

That's not even mentioning the three other players they got that are still around the organization.

For more Nationals news, head over to Nationals On SI.