Washington Nationals Urge Emerging Star to Embrace Unique Approach at Plate

Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood is one of the most impressive emerging young stars in the MLB.

He made his much-anticipated debut on July 1, 2024. It took a little bit for him to acclimate to Major League pitching, but he more than held his own with a .264/.354/.427 slash line and 121 OPS+.

Measured at 6-foot-7, he showcased his incredible blend of power and speed with nine home runs, 13 doubles, four triples and 14 stolen bases in 336 plate appearances.

Wood has taken his level of production to another level in 2025 and leaving his teammates in awe.

In only 155 plate appearances, he has already hit as many home runs as he did last year. He has added nine doubles and five stolen bases, recording a .273/.381/.545 slash line with an eye-popping 161 OPS+.

What makes those power numbers all the more impressive is that Wood hasn’t abandoned his approach at the plate.

Many people believe that for him to fully unleash his power potential, he needs to focus on pulling the ball more often. As shared by Tyler Kepner of The Athletic (subscription required), his 23.9% pull rate is the second-lowest in the MLB behind only Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers.

His ground ball rate is an astronomically high 58.7%; that is actually higher than it was as a rookie at 55.1% and well above the league average of 41.9%.

However, that isn’t something the Nationals want him doing.

He has rare unbridled power with his ability to hit the ball with power to all fields, whether it is a ground ball, line drive or fly ball.

It is something his manager wants Wood to embrace, taking advantage of his incredible natural skill set.

“I always tell him, ‘Hey, don’t feel like you’ve got to pull the ball because everybody says so — don’t listen to that, you stay in the middle of the field, you’re really good,’” manager Dave Martinez said in Kepner's story. “I said I had another kid here that was able to do that in (Juan) Soto. You see him now and he hits the ball everywhere.”

That is some incredible praise for Wood and speaks volumes to how highly the organization thinks of him. Only 22 years old, he is just scratching the surface of his potential.