Nationals star James Wood hits career milestone

James Wood makes Nationals history with career milestone 

Hitting 30 home runs in a season is special for any player, but it’s even more special when you become the first player to hit that many in a single season in six years. According to StatMuse, Wood is the first Nationals player to hit 30 home runs in a season since Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto did it in 2019, with each hitting 34. 

Not only that, Wood also became the first Nationals player to record at least 30 home runs and 15 stolen bases in a season since Alfonso Soriano in 2006, when he hit 46 home runs and stole 41 bases. 

Wood will be a franchise player for years to come

Wood is a special player for the Nationals and should be kept around long-term and not allowed to reach or get close to free agency, as they did with Harper and Soto. Making that mistake three times with players of that talent is something a team cannot recover from, and with other young, talented players around him, the Nationals have a nice young core forming. 

A five-tool player and a reliable top-of-the-order bat, Wood is only scratching the surface of what he can become. The Nationals/Montreal Expos have only had three players in their history to hit over 40 home runs in a season: Soriano (46 in 2006), Vladimir Guerrero (44 in 2000 and 42 in 1999), and Harper (42 in 2015). 

Already showing the ability to hit 30 in his second season in the big leagues, it won’t be long before Wood will be on the doorstep of 40.