The 2026 MLB Awards have been handed out at one Washington National stands tall. That is outfielder James Wood. He was the only team player to make the first- or second-team All-MLB. CJ Abrams didn't quite get that far, but Bobby Witt Jr. made the first team, and Elly De La Cruz earned second-team All-MLB at shortstop.
James Wood's Legacy Grows
Wood joins an elite class, the fourth National to earn All-MLB status since 2020. In fact, he is the first to do so since 2021, when Juan Soto and Max Scherzer made the All-MLB teams, and Max Scherzer made the Second-Team All-MLB team.
This past season, Wood played 135 games for the Nationals. In which he accomplished the following to great acclaim:
- 30 Home Runs
- 102 Walks
- .388 On-Base Percentage
- .503 Slugging Percentage
Wood is a master of the most valuable sabermetrics. He gets on base, and he hits it far. The game is quite simple when we strip away the numbers, and Wood aces it.
Most impressively, Wood earned this honor while missing 27 games. He missed most of August — four weeks in total — due to an oblique strain, before struggling a little bit upon his return.
The MLB Awards don't care whether your team was good, average, or bad. They honor baseball's best players in baseball. For the honor, Wood beat out the following stars in the outfield:
- Juan Soto (NYM)
- Andy Pages (LAD)
- Wilyer Abreu (BOS)
- Seiya Suzuki (CHC)
- Michael Harris II (ATL)
- Corbin Carroll (ARI)
- Jackson Merrill (SDP)
The list goes on and on, but Wood joins this elite class as the face and the future of the Nationals lineup.
Side-Note: CJ Abrams Flies Under the Radar in MVP Voting
Abrams was tucked away in the corner of the room. He didn't win any major MLB awards. But he did pique the interest of many MLB Award voters.
In NL MVP voting, Abrams finished 14th overall. That may not sound like much, but it's something.
After becoming the first National to start the All-Star Game since 2018, Abrams earned 12 points in NL MVP voting. In fact, Abrams earned one vote that put him fourth on someone's ballot. The surprise was Charles Odum, an Atlanta-based Associated Press writer. Since he is from a rival city, it's unexpected but pleasant to see.
Two voters also ranked Abrams in their top 10; one ranked him 8th, and the other 9th. Rick Cerrone of Baseball Digest ranked Abrams 8th. Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer ranked Abrams 9th.
In voting, Abrams beat out a few big names, including Bryce Harper, Sal Stewart, Jackson Chourio, and fellow National League player James Wood.
All in all, I think this is a nice wrap on a season that shone brightly in the hitting department. On to bigger and better things in 2027...
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