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Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood possesses the kind of intimidating size that hints toward gargantuan power potential.
Standing 6-foot-7, he towers over most of his peers on the field.
Oozing with potential, he showcased a glimpse of what he was capable of after being promoted to the big league team in 2024.
He played in 79 games, making 336 plate appearances and more than holding his own. After taking some time to adjust at the very beginning, he found his footing and cemented this status as the everyday left fielder for the foreseeable future.
Wood produced a .264/.354/.427 slash line with an OPS+ of 122 and 1.1 WAR. He had nine home runs, 13 doubles, four triples and 14 stolen bases, putting his unique blend of power, speed and athleticism on full display.
A successful debut for sure, but he has not even scratched the surface of what he is capable of doing at only 22 years old.
He has already received some incredibly high praise from analysts when forecasting the level he could take his production to.
Still very early in his career, he is already looking to meet those lofty expectations with a strong start to the 2025 campaign.
Through 30 games and only 132 plate appearances, he has already matched his home run total from his rookie season with nine. Wood has also hit seven doubles, recorded a 1.0 WAR and OPS+ of 158.
He is tapping into that power potential with a slash line of .257/.364/.558.
A slight drop in his strikeout rate is encouraging, and his walk rate has been on the rise compared to his rookie year, as well.
The hot start has Wood already on the radar for some accolades this year, receiving votes to be a member of the All-MLB Team in 2025 after the first month of the season, as shared by Jason Foster of MLB.com.
He didn’t make the cut for the First or Second-Team, but was one of the six players other players who received votes.
Competition is stiff for a spot with several established superstars and several great young players also emerging around the league.
Wood has the talent to keep up with his peers, and based on some of the numbers he has produced, this isn’t close to his final form.
The increase in power production has been impressive, but how he is accomplishing it is hard to fathom.
His ground ball rate is still an astronomical 59.1%, which is higher than the number he produced as a rookie. While his 24.1% fly ball rate is an improvement upon the 18.2% last year, it is still below the league average of 24.7%.
Another shocking number about his power output is that he isn’t pulling the ball to generate those numbers.
Normally, pull swings are where players produce the most, but not Wood.
He is pulling the ball only 18.2% of the time, while the MLB average is 30.3%.
Wood is tied for the second-most home runs in baseball with nine, despite more than half of them being to left center and left field.
With elite bat speed, hard-hit rate, barrel rate and exit velocity numbers, per Baseball Savant, his production will remain elite and have him in consideration for plenty of accolades and awards.
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TODAY'S BEST
Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg dies after battle with cancer
Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg lost his battle with cancer on Monday. He was 65. A 20th-round selection by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1978 MLB Draft, Sandberg quickly moved through the Phillies system despite his humble beginnings. He made his major league debut at the end of the 1981 season, getting six plate appearances in 13 games, his only hit coming off of a bat he borrowed from shortstop Larry Bowa. Drafted as a shortstop, the Phillies hoped that Sandberg would be the heir apparent for Bowa. However, that 13-game stint convinced the Phillies that he was not the answer. Although Sandberg had played at second and third as well in the minors, he was blocked at those positions by Manny Trillo and Mike Schmidt respectively. Bowa and Sandberg were traded to the Cubs during the 1981-82 offseason, with shortstop Ivan DeJesus heading to Philadelphia. Sandberg, now a second baseman, had a solid first two seasons in Chicago before exploding into stardom in 1984. He posted a .314/.367/.520 batting line in his 700 plate appearances, hitting 19 homers and 36 doubles while stealing 32 bases as he led the Cubs to their first postseason berth since 1945. Sandberg made his first All-Star Game, was named the NL MVP, won a Silver Slugger and his second Gold Glove award. A perennial All-Star, Sandberg possessed a combination of power and speed at second base that was rare for his era. He was a 10-time All-Star, winning nine Gold Gloves and seven Silver Sluggers. Sandberg posted a lifetime .285/.344/.452 batting line in his 9282 plate appearances, hitting 282 homers and 403 doubles while stealing 344 bases. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame 2005 in his third year on the ballot. After a decade away from the game, Sandberg returned as a minor league manager in the Cubs system in 2007, moving up the ladder to Triple-A in 2009. After Cubs manager Mike Quade was fired, and Sandberg was passed over for the opening, he joined the Phillies organization in 2011. After three years in the Phillies organization, he became the interim manager in 2013, and was eventually hired full-time at the end of the season. Sandberg lasted just over two years in total as the Phillies manager, resigning after 74 games in 2015 as the losses piled up. He remained in the game as a goodwill ambassador for the Cubs before announcing that he had prostate cancer in 2024. Although his cancer had gone into remission, it returned in December, spreading to other organs before Sandberg ultimately lost his battle. Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Sandberg during this difficult time.
Steelers reporter shares big claim about how Aaron Rodgers has looked in training camp
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the bulk of the spring as an unsigned free agent and, thus, only began officially practicing with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates during the team's three-day mandatory minicamp in June. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed how Rodgers looked during his first few training camp practices with the club. "His release is just astonishing to watch," Dulac said about Rodgers, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Everybody knows about it, and when you see it in person, you see it every day in practice, you just marvel at it. To me, he's the greatest thrower of the football I have ever seen, even at 41 (years old). That flick of that wrist and that ball comes out, it's moving and it is something to see." Rodgers was with the New York Jets when he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 regular-season opener. He was then slowed by a nagging hip issue, injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers finished last season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 48.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with a 43.9 percent passing success rate. That said, he was also eighth with 3,897 passing yards and tied for seventh with 28 passing touchdowns. Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson endured some struggles during training camp sessions last summer before the two allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" during the season. It sounds like Pittsburgh fans should be encouraged by how Rodgers performed in recent practices. "That guy can get rid of the ball as quick as anybody," Dulac added. "He made three throws in seven-on-seven (drills) the other day that the cumulative total I bet couldn't have exceeded 2.1 seconds. And two of those were for touchdowns." Rodgers wants to finish his career "the right way" and help the Steelers notch at least their first playoff win since January 2017. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh at -150 betting odds to miss the playoffs for the upcoming season.
Suns Rejected Massive Trade Offer From Pelicans During 2025 NBA Draft: Report
It has been a busy offseason for the Phoenix Suns as they have completely overhauled their roster after another disappointing season last year. Of course, the Suns have broken up their star trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal as they traded Durant to the Houston Rockets and bought out Beal’s contract. Now Booker is the only one remaining and it is clear that Phoenix is looking to build around him for the future after they gave him a massive two-year contract extension. For the Suns, they have added a ton of talent this offseason via trades, free agency and the draft with the headliners being Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Khaman Maluach and Mark Williams. During the draft, the Suns selected Maluach 10th overall with the pick they received from the Rockets in the Durant trade but they reportedly turned down an offer from another Western Conference team during the draft. According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, the Suns turned down an unprotected 2026 first-round pick and the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 draft from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for the 10th pick. Of course, the Pelicans would later trade both picks they offered to the Suns for the 13th overall pick from the Atlanta Hawks that they used to select Derik Queen. This is a move that may haunt the Pelicans as they could end up being one of the worst teams in the NBA again next season due to the loaded West but it could also come back to hurt the Suns as well. For the Suns, it is clear that they have high hopes for Maluach but if they would have pulled off the trade with New Orleans and the Pelicans end up being a bottom feeder once again next season, they could have gotten the first pick in next year’s draft. Instead, the Hawks now own the Pelicans’ first-round pick next season and it remains to be seen whether not making this trade will come back to haunt the Suns in the future.
WNBA Coach Involved in Caitlin Clark Incident Called a ‘Liar’
Still without Caitlin Clark, who has missed 14 games (including Commissioner's Cup championship) so far during the 2025 WNBA season, the Indiana Fever have improved to 14-12 and are in the midst of a two-game winning streak. Clark has missed the last four games for Indiana thanks to another groin injury. This also kept her out of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game when her team, Team Clark, fell to Team Collier. Caitlin Clark's Past With One WNBA Coach Even with Clark sidelined, the former Iowa guard received the most fan votes, earning All-Star captain honors. She selected her team during the All-Star draft and made headlines by orchestrating the first-ever All-Star coaching swap, trading Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve for New York Liberty’s Sandy Brondello. Clark and Reeve have had a bit of a history since Clark joined the league in 2024. She was notably left off Reeve's Team USA roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, a decision that did not sit well with many. Reeve even downplayed questions about Clark's snub and impact on the WNBA last year. Cheryl Reeve Called Out For 'Lying' Still, despite the controversy, Christine Brennan, author of "On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports," was eager to hear the Lynx coach’s perspective on Clark’s rookie season. In a recent episode of "The Robin Lundberg Show," Brennan discussed her new book and shared how she approached Reeve for an interview. "I texted her, I called her PR people," Brennan said. "I got in touch with the PR, emailed the PR people. Went through USA basketball several times in May when that first story broke for USA Today, and then all the way through, including, I forget exactly when, but certainly December, maybe January, to give her an open opportunity to talk to me. I would have run the quotes at length." She went on to reveal that Reeve accused her of not "doing the due diligence," prompting Brennan to call the coach out. "Um, you know, if she didn't want to do that, okay, that's fine," Brennan added. "But when she said, I think at one point in that appearance she had that, well, I didn't do the due diligence. Oh, I so did the due diligence, and she knows that because she had the messages, including text messages, when I got her cell number. So, the lying Robin, it's it makes me sad to say this because I like Cheryl Reeve. I mean, the lies, you know, are there, and anyone can find them and see them." The Fever will be back in action on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET, facing the Phoenix Mercury. It is unclear if Clark will be able to play at the time of this article.
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