February 4, 2025

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood's first half-season in Major League Baseball in 2024 was the very definition of "fine." The Washington Nationals outfielder finished his first 79 games with a cumulative .264/354/.427 line with nine home runs and 14 steals. The on-base percentage (11.6% walk rate) and 14 steals in under half a year certainly raised some eyebrows, but there were also prolonged slumps along the way. After his call-up in July, he hit just .245/.333/.357 that month with a 33% strikeout rate. But in August, Wood started looking a whole lot more like the guy selected in the second round of the 2021 draft and who hit .353/.463/.595 in AAA before coming up to Washington. In August last season, he hit .302/.407/.479 with three bombs and nine steals. The primary reason for the improvement? He started getting the ball in the air. In his first month of play, Wood had a horrific 64% groundball rate. He cut that to under 50% in August, and the power and hard-hit ability came with it. As a result, his .690 July OPS spiked to .886 in August, and his strikeout rate plummeted by seven percentage points. Among all players with at least 300 plate appearances in 2024, Wood's 11.6% walk rate was in the top 30 in the league. He was able to make it through some adjustments and combine his elite plate discipline with the power/speed combo that could make him a star. There is a lot of opportunity cost at pick 49 in recent NFBC drafts, but extrapolate his 2024 79 games until a full season, and there is still a lot to love about this 22-year-old. ATC is on board with Wood to produce this season and is projecting him to slash .260/.345/.440 with 19 home runs and 20 steals over 590 plate appearances.--Ryan Kirksey