Subscribe
Follow Us
The Washington Nationals contain one of the biggest rising stars in baseball. Oufielder James Wood, who was traded to the Nationals from the San Diego Padres for Juan Soto, is now the best hitter on the Nationals roster.
On Thursday, Wood committed to joining the 2025 Home Run Derby in just under two weeks. Wood joins Cal Raleigh and Ronald Acuna Jr. More will be announced in the coming days.
Wood is 7th in baseball with 22 home runs. He has the power and swing to be a home run hitter for his entire career. Wood joining the derby is good for the league, as he has some hard-hit home runs. According to MLB.com, here are Wood's hardest and longest home runs.
Longest HR of 2025: 451 feet, June 13 vs. Marlins and June 21 vs. Dodgers
Hardest-hit HR of 2025: 116.3 mph, April 23 vs. Orioles
Five more names will be added to the derby before it happens. Acuna Jr. will be performing in his home field in Atlanta, and then will participate in the All-Star Game the following day. Raleigh will also be in the All-Star game on Tuesday as the AL's starting catcher. However, Wood is not confirmed to be an All-Star yet. That will be announced on Sunday, and Wood should represent the Nationals in Atlanta unless MacKenzie Gore gets the nod as a pitcher.
Other names who would be great to join Wood, Acuna Jr., and Raleigh would be: Shohei Ohtani (probably wouldn't do it again just yet), Eugenio Suarez (fourth in MLB with 26 homers), Kyle Schwarber (tied with Suarez with 26 bombs), and Riley Greene (8th with 21 homers), and Ketel Marte (16th with 18 homers).
Wood will certainly be one of the favorites to win the derby. Acuna Jr. is in his own stadium, and Raleigh leads the league in homers, but Wood is built for the derby with his 6-foot-7 frame and his smooth swing that seems like he hits bombs with little to no effort.
