The 2025 season was a frustrating one for the Washington Nationals, as the team ended up having a worse record than they had in previous years despite having more talent. It was tough to watch for a vast majority of the season, but there were some bright spots that emerged.
A few of those bright spots appeared in the outfield, as between rookie standout Daylen Lile and young phenom James Wood, it looks like the team has a cemented outfield duo for the future. Of course, the team will hope Dylan Crews can emerge alongside them as well, but he has a long way to go with his development.
In what has already been a very busy offseason for the Nationals between making some new hires like Paul Toboni to be the President of Baseball Operations and searching for a new manager, it seems as if the future could be bright in Washington. The guy who might be the most pivotal presence on the field comes in the form of Wood, who now has a chance to add some legitimate hardware to his budding collection.
James Wood announced as NL Silver Slugger Award Finalist
Just earlier today, it was announced via Fansided.com that Wood is going to be a finalist for a 2025 National League Silver Slugger Award, along with a handful of other awesome outfielders. Wood, who just completed his first full big-league season, is nominated for the award for the first time, and he very well may emerge from the field with what should hopefully be his first of many Silver Slugger Awards.
Nominated alongside Wood is Corbin Carroll from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pete Crow-Armstrong from the Chicago Cubs, Juan Soto from the New York Mets, and Kyle Stowers from the Miami Marlins. The NL East is well-represented in the nominations for the Silver Slugger, and it's a very encouraging sight to see. Soto seems like a lock to bring home yet another award, as he did numerous times with the Nationals, but could Wood join him?
Out of the 5 players nominated, 3 will bring home hardware, and Wood looks as if he will have a very great chance to be one of the winners. Despite a second-half slump that saw Wood's numbers drop well below where they were before the Home Run Derby, he still turned in an awesome campaign with a .256/.350/.475 slash line, good for an .825 OPS to go along with 31 homers and 94 RBIs.
Wood was tied with Crow-Armstrong and Carroll in home runs, but trailed Soto's 43 for the leading mark among NL Silver Slugger candidates. His 94 RBIs ranked 3rd among the 5 candidates, while his .825 OPS ranked 4th among the field. Seeing how the race ends up shaking out will be a fun one to keep an eye on, and Fansided will be the best place to keep tabs, as our company has the exclusive right to announce the winners in early November.
What do you think of James Wood being a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.