After a slow start to the season, James Wood has returned to his All Star form. In 137 plate appearances, the left handed outfielder already has ten home runs and a .975 OPS. Wood is playing extraordinarily well, so far, but concerningly, Wood’s weaknesses that plagued his 2025 second half persist.
Just like last year, Wood has excelled at drawing walks and making hard contact. Wood’s walk percentage is 19.7 percent, his barrel percentage is 30.2 percent and his average exit velocity is 96.9 miles per hour. All of these numbers are elite and rank near the top of the league. These talents make Wood an All-Star level hitter, and one of the best hitters in the league when he is hot. However, to take the next step to be an MVP level player, Wood needs to address his weaknesses.
First, Wood’s strikeout rate remains alarmingly high. After striking out 32.1 percent of the time last season, Wood is striking out 31.1 percent of the time this season. While Wood has marginally improved, this strikeout rate is still concerningly high. When a player fails to put the ball in play around one third of the time, it caps their total offensive potential.
Wood will always be prone to prolonged stretches like he experienced in last year’s second half, where his offensive production plummeted because he was striking out so frequently. Wood is producing right now, but until he begins to significantly cut down on his strikeouts, his offensive output will likely continue to be inconsistent.
Wood’s defensive limitations also limit the total value he provides to the Nationals. So far this season, Wood has an outs above average of -3. This mark puts him in the sixth percentile of qualified Major League players. Throughout his career, Wood has never been a good defender, frequently having defensive metrics that are near the bottom of the league. Wood is young and athletic enough to improve his defensive skills. He also does not play a position that is particularly difficult on the defensive spectrum.Â
If Wood wants to become an MVP caliber player and all around star, he needs to improve his defense. Especially if Wood has more streaks of limited productivity on offense, becoming a positive defender would ensure that he is still adding some value to the team. Right now, he remains a boom or bust player with a limited ceiling.
Add us as a preferred source on Google