It did not take long for James Wood, the No. 3 prospect according to MLB.com , to make a good impression in his first big league appearance with the Washington Nationals.
The rookie left fielder earned his first MLB hit in his very first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning Monday night, smacking a line drive single to left centerfield past diving New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos.
1ST MLB AT BAT. WOOD BRINGS THE LUMBER. pic.twitter.com/YzqPmmDGYM
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 1, 2024
To compare, Washington's legendary first baseman Ryan Zimmerman didn't get his first MLB hit until his second game back in September of 2005.
The rest of Wood's at-bats were less eventful, recording a strikeout in the fourth inning and a groundout in the seventh. But he did reach second base in the bottom of the ninth after a throwing error by New York pitcher Jake Diekman.
James Wood turns on the jets
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 2, 2024
MLB's No. 2 overall prospect utilizes a 30.4 ft/sec sprint speed as he reaches on an error and moves to 2nd for the @Nationals. pic.twitter.com/nY3OUapgWY
The 21-year-old Wood got his big league call-up after dominating at Triple-A Rochester this season, so far posting a .353 batting average and a .463 on-base percentage.
Washington acquired Wood from the San Diego Padres as part of the Juan Soto trade in 2022, coming to the nation's capital with prospects Mackenzie Gore and C.J. Abrams — both of which are regulars on the active roster.
Wood ended his night going 1-of-4 with a walk in what was a 9-7 extra-inning loss to New York.
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