Despite playing for a Washington Nationals team that’s 28 games under .500, James Wood has impressed in his sophomore season. The All-Star outfielder’s two-run homer against the Miami Marlins Tuesday helped power the Nationals to their second straight win after the team had lost eight in a row.
Wood also joined a very exclusive group with Tuesday’s long ball. He’s now up to 27 home runs, 76 walks and 15 stolen bases on the season. Ronald Acuña Jr. (2019) and Mike Trout (2013, 2014) are the only other players in MLB history to reach those heights at age 22 or younger, per OptaSTATS.
While the Nationals fell out of the division race early. Wood enjoyed an excellent first half of the season. He built on a solid showing in 2024, tying Bryce Harper and Juan Soto for the most homers in franchise history through a player’s first 162 games. All three had 31 home runs after 162 games played.
Nationals’ star James Wood makes history despite second-half struggles
Wood established himself as the biggest threat in the Nationals’ lineup. He even made history not seen since Barry Bonds, drawing four intentional walks in a single game. Opposing teams were determined not to let Washington’s young slugger beat them.
But Wood has struggled over the second half of the season. He slashed .287/.388/.551 with 24 home runs, 69 RBI and 59 runs scored through July 9. The hot start earned him his first All-Star Game nod. But Wood dropped off over his next 43 games. From July 10 through September 1 he slashed .194/.281/.303 with just two homers, 15 RBI and 14 runs.
Wood’s strikeout rate also soared over that stretch. He now leads the majors with 187 strikeouts.
But Wood’s big day at the plate against the Marlins could signal a turnaround. He snapped a home run drought in August after failing to leave the yard for a full month. After Tuesday’s performance, Wood is up to three home runs in the last three weeks.
On the season he’s hitting .258 with an .829 OPS. And he’s racked up an impressive 3.5 bWAR in 136 games. Another strong showing in Wednesday’s matchup against Miami has the Nationals on the verge of three straight wins.
