The bats are hot in our nation's capital. The Washington Nationals are ranked 4th in offensive rating, per Fangraphs. They are also ranked 1st in runs scored per game, 4th in slugging percentage, 4th in OPS, and 6th in total home runs. The Nationals currently sit at a record of 35-34, as of June 12, and the playoffs are becoming evermore in sight.
So, who is fueling the bulk of this excellence? That man is none other than, James Wood.
MLB.com's Jason Foster released his MLB hitter power rankings the other day, and it welcomed James Wood to the elite of the elite. Foster ranks Wood as the 4th best hitter in the MLB, trailing only Yordan Alvarez, Shohei Ohtani, and Nick Kurtz. MLB.com's. In reality, Wood may actually rank 5th, but Aaron Judge is unlisted; out for 4-6 weeks.
James Wood Joins MLB's Hitting Elite
The Statcast page of Wood is filled with bright red. Wood is in the 100th percentile of four separate categories: xwOBA, xSLG, Avg. Exit Velo., and Barrel %. Wood ranks in the 97th percentile in Batting Run Value, which calculates a run value created for hitters in comparison to the MLB average. Wood has created 19 more runs than the average MLB hitter over 69 games.
Wood is playing to a .271 batting average, as of June 12. His on-base percentage is .407, slugging percentage .534, and both equal a .941 OPS. Wood's home run total through 262 at-bats in 18, pacing himself for about 45 total home runs over a 162-game season. In 2025, Wood hit 31 home runs.
How about on Fangraphs — how does Wood fare?
Per Fangraphs, "Off is a combination of our park-adjusted batting runs above average." In that metric, Wood has a +24.6 rating, which is 2nd in the MLB, trailing just Yordan Alvarez.
Given Fangraphs ZiPS projections, Wood is playing to par. His 3-year projections suggest a mid-.260's batting average with mid-30's in home run totals. Wood is exceeding these marks, and honestly, not by a long shot. He is not a fluke right now. Wood is that good, and we can expect him to remain this good.
In the National League, it will be very difficult for anyone to beat out Shohei Ohtani for the MVP honor. The all-time talent both pitches and hits in elite fashion. Nonetheless, Wood is trying to make his mark.
On Kalshi, the NL MVP market is offered. Ohtani dominates the board with an 80% showing to win the award, returning 1.23x of your investment. Wood is second in this offering, leading the NL charge. He would return 6.73x of your investment, better stated as American odds of plus-573. Wood is ahead of Juan Soto and Kyle Schwarber in the NL MVP race.
A player who was returned in a deal for Juan Soto is now outperforming Soto. What a world this is. The Nationals have won this trade. While that can be debated, the numbers don't lie. The next step? The postseason amid this multi-year rebuild. The Nationals are 1.0 games outside of the NL Wild Card, as of June 12.
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