The way James Wood has started his season with Triple-A Rochester has raised questions on how much longer can the Nationals, who already have a deficiency in power, go on without him at the big league level. It’s not a question anymore that Wood will make his way to the bigs, but it’s now a question of when.
The Nationals top outfield prospect is currently slashing a risible .344/.443/.552 with a .995 OPS, 11 doubles, 17 RBI, 23 walks, 30 strikeouts, nine stolen bases, and five home including three over the last two days. The club’s second-ranked prospect and ninth-overall prospect by ITD in all of baseball hit two home runs on Wednesday and Thursday added another.
It all but seems like Wood has nothing left to prove at the minor league level. The Nationals and Dave Martinez have made it clear they have a plan in place that they plan on sticking with. Despite the electric start to the season, Martinez has made clear that the 21-year-old still has a ways to go before he makes his big league debut.
“He needs to get a bunch of at-bats,” Martinez said before the game against Baltimore on Wednesday. “He needs to learn some different things. We want him to get better against left-handed pitching. Want him to understand the baserunning stuff. All that stuff. He’s striking out 33 percent of the time against lefties, so I really want him to work on that.”
There are some things that he could polish in Rochester which could help bring more success when he arrives in the bigs. Last season, Wood did not appear in Triple-A, but instead saw time with High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg. With the two he struck out 173 times in 129 games. He’s also struggled against left-handed pitching, just hitting .207 with a .729 OPS while striking out a third of the time (compared to hitting .385 with a .1.070 OPS against right-handed pitching after Thursday).
Wood did make a case during Spring Training to make the Opening Day roster after hitting .364 with four home runs across 22 appearances. The outfield became too crowded with the offseason signings of Jesse Winker and Eddie Rosario who both made the team as everyday players. Jacob Young has emerged as a spark plug in center field hitting .301 with 12 stolen bases. Victor Robles just returned from the injured list on Wednesday and you’d assume he’ll get reps between Young or Rosario. Lane Thomas is also expected to be back off the IL shortly. The opportunity is there for a roster spot in a crowded outfield, but if Wood isn’t getting reps every day – it’s not worth it.
Wood is not the only prospect that the Nationals have their eyes on either. In Harrisburg, number six OF Robert Hassell III (.333 AVG, .877 OPS), third-ranked and 41st overall 3B Brady House (.260 AVG, .845 OPS, 5 HR), and No. 1 OF Dylan Crews (.236 average, .775 OPS, 15 RBIs) have all gotten out to great starts with the Senators.
Martinez doesn’t want to get too ahead of himself from everything he hears, but he’s certainly excited for what will all be up soon.
“You want all these kids to do well and you want to see him come up here. But I got 26 guys up here I got to worry about. And that’s my biggest focus right now. But I say this all the time I’m really excited about our future. Really, when these guys all come up and they’re playing the way we think they’re capable of playing, you think we’re exciting now? We’re gonna be really exciting.”
The collective group of talent making their way up to the bigs within the coming months has the Nationalss eager for what’s on its way. James Wood’s arrival will not only be a great addition to an already fun team to watch but will be contributing to the competitive present with this team.
