PLAYER REVIEW: JAMES WOOD
Age on Opening Day 2026: 23
How acquired: Traded with CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana and Luke Voit from Padres for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, August 2022
MLB service time: 1 year, 91 days
2025 salary: $764,600
Contract status: Under club control, arbitration-eligible in 2028, free agent in 2031
2025 stats: 157 G, 689 PA, 598 AB, 87 R, 153 H, 38 2B, 0 3B, 31 HR, 94 RBI, 15 SB, 7 CS, 85 BB, 221 SO, .256 AVG, .350 OBP, .475 SLG, .825 OPS, 132 OPS+, 1 DRS, -7 OAA, 3.7 bWAR, 3.3 fWAR
Quotable: “I think there were certain parts during the year where I wasn’t feeling too great. That’s one way of putting it, I guess. It’s definitely good going into the offseason on a good note.” – James Wood
2025 analysis: Expectations were sky high for Wood entering the season, and he certainly met them during a phenomenal first half. Through his first 87 games (through July 3), he delivered a .294/.395/.563 slash line with 19 doubles, 23 homers, 67 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. His .958 OPS ranked among the league leaders, and he was on pace to top 40 homers, 120 RBIs and 100 walks for the season. And though his strikeout rate also was high (on pace for 190), it seemed a worthwhile trade-off for everything else he brought to the table.
Wood was selected not only to his first All-Star Game but also his first Home Run Derby, and he began preparing for that event during the final week of the first half. He proceeded to go into a 3-for-29 slump entering the break, shaken also by the news of the firings of manager Davey Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo. He performed well in the Derby, setting the bar as the first participant with 16 homers, but just missed advancing beyond the first round.
When he returned from Atlanta, Wood was a completely different hitter. Over his first 57 games coming out of the break, he slashed a paltry .212/.294/.333, with only three homers, three steals and 25 walks. His strikeout rate skyrocketed, with 99 of them in only 248 plate appearances. He entered the season’s final week with a real shot at breaking Major League Baseball’s single-season record of 223, set by the Diamondbacks’ Mark Reynolds in 2009.
Wood did, however, finish strong. Over his final five games, he went 7-for-20 with four homers, driving the ball to the opposite field with power once again. And though he came close, he did not reach Reynolds’ ignominious mark, finishing with 221 strikeouts.
2026 outlook: As frustrating as his second half slide was, let’s not forget Wood still hit 31 homers with 38 doubles and 94 RBIs in his first full big league season. No Nationals player had that many RBIs since Juan Soto in 2021, and no Nationals player had that many doubles or homers since Anthony Rendon in 2019. And he did all this as a 22-year-old during a season of turmoil for the organization.
Wood still profiles as one of the best offensive players in baseball. He does, however, have several real areas that need real improvement. He may be destined to rank among the league leaders in strikeouts year in and year out, but he can cut down on his rate somewhat. Interestingly enough, his chase rate (24.2 percent) is still considerably better than the league-wide rate (28.4 percent). His bigger problem were strikeouts inside the strike zone. He swung at only 55.8 percent of pitches in the zone (well below the MLB average of 67 percent) but made contact on pitches in the zone only 76.9 percent of the time (also well below the MLB average of 82.5 percent).
Wood is one of the most patient hitters on the planet, and that’s an outstanding trait to have at such a young age. But he would probably do well to be a little bit more aggressive, especially early in counts. A whopping 424 of his 689 plate appearances ended in a two-strike count, and his OPS in those plate appearances was a measly .486. But in the 265 plate appearances he took that didn’t get to two strikes, his OPS was an otherworldly 1.380. No, he shouldn’t get too aggressive and start chasing out of the zone early in counts. But if he gets something in the zone early in the count, he should be more aggressive going after it.
There’s also work to be done in left field, where Wood at times has looked improved and at times continues to look like he’s not playing at full speed. Same on the bases. With a new coaching staff likely in place, there should be more an effort made to stay on Wood to be all-in both physically and mentally through every at-bat of every game he plays. (A few more strategically selected days off in the first half of next season might also pay off down the road.)
We’ve already seen Wood can play at an MVP-caliber level for three months. All that’s left to see is if he can do it for six months. (And, one of these years, for seven months.)