Nationals Call Up James Wood: Top Prospect Expected To Debut Monday

Image credit: (Photo/Tom DiPace)

As the MiLB season flips into the second half, Nationals outfielder James Wood was in a battle with Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams for Minor League Player of the Year.

He won’t win that award however, as the Nationals reportedly called up their top prospect on Friday, giving their MLB lineup a potential big boost for the second half of the season.

Wood ranked third on the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects list, which was last fully updated at the beginning of June. His MLB debut may have been slightly delayed by a hamstring injury that sidelined him for three weeks. He came off the IL on June 18th and has gone 5-for-19 (.263/.391/.421) with one home run in the six games since.

Wood is hitting .346/.458/.578 overall this year. He’s been one of the most consistent and impressive hitting prospects in baseball this year, showing the ability to hit for average and power. He has also consistently made adjustments throughout his still brief pro career.

Wood’s ability to handle velocity combined with excellent plate discipline should serve him well as he makes the jump to the majors, as Eli Ben-Porat detailed last weekend.

Wood was acquired from the Padres in the Juan Soto trade. Hitting on the prospects acquired in a blockbuster sell-off is vital to a team’s rebuilding process, and the Nationals appear to have done just that. Lefthander MacKenzie Gore is 6-7, 3.81 as a fixture in the Nats’ rotation. Shortstop C.J. Abrams is hitting .280/.322/.502 as a 23-year-old everyday shortstop and now Wood is set to become a third regular.