James Wood has already made a name for himself as a top-tier player in the league. He has the power, speed, contact, and ability to get on base. He is a major reason the Nationals are tied for second place in the National League East at the time of writing, and have completely exceeded expectations so far this season.
He has become a fan favorite, and as a local product born in Rockville, Maryland, he deserves to play for his hometown team for his career, if he so chooses to. If the Nationals stay competitive, Wood can take a little bit of a hometown discount, and he might end up as the greatest Washington Nationals player of all time since moving here in 2005 from Montreal.
As it stands right now. James Wood's 2026 OPS+ (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) is 171, which puts him at 71% better than the league average hitter, which is absolutely incredible--and with that statistic, he currently leads the National League in OPS+ as well as leading the National League in OBP (on-base-percentage) with a .409.
In addition to those hitting stats, he currently leads the NL in walks with 50. He has 16 home runs, 39 RBI, and 10 stolen bases this season (his most stolen bases in a season were 15), which he is almost at. James could very well go 40/40 this season if he stays healthy, making him only the seventh player ever to do it, and the first National to do it since Alfonso Soriano in 2006.
Wood's mainstay in DC would mean the chance at another World Series run in the future. Yes, the team will need to sign some star power in free agency and keep some of their core players, but with Wood, the team's potential for greatness is endless.
Wood, who already was an All-Star in his first full season last year, is on pace for another all-star appearance this July in Philadelphia. Wood, with his home run hitting prowess, can very likely compete in this year's Home Run Derby if he chooses to participate, although we hope he stays away given what transpired last year.
Wood plays the game the right way, and with great composure and attitude and I know he will do great things in his career. The only question is if he will be the greatest Nationals player ever? If he stays on the team, and continues his power surge, he most definitely will be. He is the best player on the Nationals right now, at least in my opinion, and could very well be the greatest Nationals player ever when he retires years down the line.
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