James Wood (baseball)

James Irvin Wood (born September 17, 2002) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.

James Wood
Washington Nationals – No. 29
Outfielder
Born: (2002-09-17) September 17, 2002 (age 22) Rockville, Maryland, U.S.
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 1, 2024, for the Washington Nationals
MLB statistics (through 2024 season)
Batting average	.264
Home runs	9
Runs batted in	41
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Washington Nationals (2024–present)

Early life and amateur career

Wood grew up in Olney, Maryland, and initially attended high school in Washington, D.C., where he played baseball and basketball. He transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, after his sophomore season, giving up basketball in order to focus solely on baseball.^[1][2] He committed to play college baseball at Mississippi State shortly before transferring to IMG.^[3] After a strong performance while playing in the 2020 Area Code Games, Wood entered his senior year as a top prospect in the 2021 MLB Draft.^[4][5] Wood batted .258 as a senior, causing him to fall slightly in most draft prospect rankings.^[6]

Professional career

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres selected Wood in the second round, with the 62nd overall pick, in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.^[7][8] He signed with the team on July 20, 2021, and received a $2.6 million signing bonus, compared with the draft slot's recommended bonus of $1.1 million.^[9] Wood was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Padres to start his professional career, batting .372 with three home runs, 22 RBI, and ten stolen bases over 26 games.^[10] He opened the 2022 season with the Lake Elsinore Storm of the Single-A California League.^[11]

Washington Nationals

On August 2, 2022, the Padres traded Wood, CJ Abrams, Luke Voit, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell, and Jarlín Susana to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Juan Soto and Josh Bell.^[12] The Nationals assigned him to the Fredericksburg Nationals of the Single-A Carolina League.^[13] Wood batted .293 with eight doubles, two home runs, and 17 RBI in 21 games with Fredericksburg.^[14] He was assigned to the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks at the beginning of the 2023 season.^[15] Wood was promoted to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators after batting .293 with eight home runs and 36 RBI in 42 games with Wilmington.^[16] He then hit .248 with 18 homers and 10 steals in 87 games for Harrisburg.^[17] He was selected to play in the 2023 All-Star Futures Game.^[18]

James Wood and Dylan Crews on deck in 2024.

Wood was promoted to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings to begin the 2024 season.^[19] After hitting .353 with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 52 games at Triple-A,^[20] Wood was ranked as the #1 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America's 2024 midseason update.^[21] He was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on July 1, 2024. On July 1, he got his first hit, a single, in the second inning against New York Mets' pitcher David Peterson.^[22] Wood finished the 2024 season playing in 79 games, hitting .264 with 9 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. ^[23]

Player profile

Wood is listed at 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and 234 pounds (106 kg), ^[23] making him one of the tallest current players in MLB. He is regarded as a player with high potential because of his power, consistent ball contact, and speed. ^[24] In his rookie season he had an Average Exit Velocity of 92.8 mph (95th percentile among MLB players) and a Sprint Speed of 28.7 mph (85th percentile). ^[25]

Personal life

Wood's father, Kenny Wood, played college basketball at Richmond, where he is a member of the school's athletic hall of fame, and professionally in Europe.^[26] His sister, Sydney Wood, played college basketball for Northwestern and was a team captain.^[27] Wood is the nephew of former NBA player Howard Wood.^[28]

References

1. Stubbs, Roman (March 19, 2020). "For St. John's baseball team, a requirement to play for coach's private team causes turmoil". Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
2. "Ball bounces James Wood". Perfect Game. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
3. "MSU 2021 commitment James Wood comes from an athletic family". GenesPage.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
4. "2021 MLB Draft Prospect James Wood Generates Immense Scouting Buzz". Baseball America. August 31, 2020. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
5. Callis, Jim (August 12, 2020). "'21 Draft prospects starred at Area Codes". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
6. Robertson, Steve (July 12, 2021). "Bulldog signee James Wood selected by Padres". 247Sports.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
7. "San Diego Padres pick Mississippi State signee James Wood in Round 2 of 2021 MLB Draft". The Clarion-Ledger. July 12, 2021. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
8. "Padres' James Wood: Drafted by Padres". CBS Sports. July 12, 2021. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
9. "Padres sign second-rounder James Wood for $2.6 million". The San Diego Union-Tribune. July 20, 2021. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
10. Sanders, Jeff (July 30, 2021). "Minors: Missions power up; James Wood makes pro debut in Arizona". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
11. "Minors: Where the Padres' top prospects are to start 2022". April 9, 2022.
12. Cassavell, AJ (August 2, 2022). "Padres finalize deal with Nats to land Soto, Bell". MLB.com. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
13. "Returning home, James Wood makes instant impact with FredNats". The Free Lance–Star. August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
14. Blanco, Bobby (September 27, 2022). "Prospects at instructional league visited Nats in Miami". MASN. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
15. Blanco, Bobby (April 14, 2023). "Quiet Wood is secretly the funny leader of talented Wilmington roster". MASN. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
16. "Nationals prospect James Wood promoted to Harrisburg Senators". The Washington Post. May 28, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
17. "James Wood Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
18. "Former FredNats Wood, House to appear in MLB Futures Game". The Free Lance–Star. June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
19. "Nationals' James Wood: Starting season at Triple-A". CBSSports.com. March 26, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
20. Communications, Nationals (July 1, 2024). "Nationals select the contract of top prospect James Wood". Medium. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
21. "James Wood Ranks No. 1 In July 2024 Top 100 MLB Prospects Update". Baseball America. July 12, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
22. "James Wood logs his first MLB hit". X.com. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
23. "James Wood MLB Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
24. "The Next Young Star in Major League Baseball: James Wood". theskippersview.com. January 1, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
25. "James Wood 2024 MLB Percentile Rankings". baseballsavant.mlb.com. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
26. "James Wood, Son Of East Hampton Basketball Legend Kenny Wood, Makes His Mark On Baseball Diamond". December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
27. "Nationals prospect James Wood challenges baseball's size bias". The Washington Post. May 25, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
28. Lin, Dennis (April 28, 2022). "How James Wood, an outfielder with first-round draft talent, fell to the Padres in the second". The Athletic. Retrieved June 29, 2023.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
• USA Baseball profile