It's time for the Nationals to call up outfield prospect James Wood

James Wood, one of the prized jewels in the Nationals trade with the Padres for Juan Soto in 2022, has been tearing up the minor leagues. In 36 games this season for the Rochester Red Wings (the Nats' Triple-A affiliate) the 6-foot-7 outfielder is slashing .357/.455/.586 with 11 doubles, seven homers and 25 RBI across 140 at-bat. Recently, he's tapped into his seemingly unlimited power, as he launched five home runs in the last week alone, earning him Triple-A Player of the Week.

As the team's newly-minted No. 1 prospect, the time is now to give Wood his first taste of the big leagues. At 20-21, the Nationals have been a pleasant surprise for the second consecutive year and are well on their way toward exceeding their preseason projected win total of 65.5.

But make no mistake, this team has plenty of holes, including a glaring power deficiency that, among National League teams, has the Nats ranked 12th in home runs, 15th in total bases, 10th in runs scored and 12th in slugging percentage. 

Most days, the Nats clean-up hitter is Joey Meneses, whose .585 OPS doesn't rank within the top-150 performers in baseball. And while the team has to be relieved that Eddie Rosario has started to climb out of an early season slump that left him slashing .088/.137/.162 at the start of May, he isn't exactly a manager's dream in the three-spot.

The Nationals are the type of team that few pitchers want to face – they put the ball in play, they wreak havoc on the base paths, they play small ball and they manufacture runs. To put it simply, they are pests. What they lack is the sort of hitter who can strike fear into the opposing team – someone who can keep opposing pitchers up the night before they take the mound.

Which leads us to James Wood, a guy who simply obliterates baseballs. Factor in the Nats' need for outfield depth with Lane Thomas and Jesse Winker banged up and it's a no-brainer that Wood should get the call to join the big league club. 

For the Nats, the future is now.