Nationals’ James Wood Has Become One of Baseball’s Best Young Stars

Offense: James Wood (.256/.350/.475, 157 G, 31 HR, 94 RBI, 15 SB, 85 BB, 221 K, 38 2B, .825 OPS, 132 OPS+, 3.7 bWAR).

Defense (Baseball Savant): Wood (-7 Outs Above Average, 0 Arm Value, 85.9 mph Arm Strength, 1,067.1 innings, .987 Fielding percentage, 3 Errors).

Other Contributors (Games in Left FIeld): Daylen Lile (22 G, 21 GS), Alex Call (21 G, 16 GS), Robert Hassell III (8 G, 2 GS).

Season Notes

James Wood was the Nationals' best player. He led the team in home runs (31), doubles (38), RBI (94) and bWAR (3.7). His .825 OPS and 132 OPS+ were also the highest among players who played more than 100 games on the team, and his .350 OBP led the team, as well.

Wood's 221 strikeouts were the most in baseball and only two shy of the all time record. His 85 walks were good for the 11th best in baseball.

Lile, Call and Hassell played some left field, but that was mostly to either spell Wood on defense or to give him a day off, of which he didn't have many.

James Wood's Future

Wood is both the face of the Nationals and their left fielder for the foreseeable future. The 23-year-old really did it all in his breakout season. Not only did he lead the team in multiple offensive categories, but he made his first All-Star team and even competed in the Home Run Derby.

Participating in the Derby put him on the national stage to show fans what he can do. He turned into an elite power hitter and was among the best in baseball at impacting the ball, according to Baseball Savant.

Wood's average exit velocity (94.3 mph) and hard-hit rate (56.3 percent) were both in the 98th percentile in all of baseball. He barreled the ball 16.3 percent of the time, which was in the 94th percentile. On top of all of that, he was in the 89th percentile in walk rate.

Wood put himself in elite territory in terms of hitting the ball, up there with the likes of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in terms of how hard he is making contact. That will make him a force for years to come.

What was really impressive this season was he wasn't just pulling the ball. In fact, he hit the ball straight (19.2 %) and opposite field (19.7 %) more than he pulled the ball (11.3 %).

Wood's walk percentage was in the 89th percentile, but he had the second worse strikeout rate in baseball at 32.1 percent. He was just two strikeouts shy of tying the single season record. For how hard Wood hits the ball, he strikes out just as much. It didn't seem to be an issue this season, but that's not something the 23-year-old can let get out of control.

James Wood announced himself during the 2025 season. The sky is the limit for a player who's heading into just his third full season next year. There are seemingly many more All-Star games in his future, and he will be the main cog of the next good Nationals team.