The Washington Nationals have decided to promote outfield prospect James Wood to the majors, where he will make his debut against the New York Mets. Wood had been playing in Triple-A this season, where he boasted impressive stats with a .346 batting average, .458 on-base percentage, and .578 slugging percentage. He also hit 10 home runs, drove in 34 runs, and successfully stole 10 bases out of 11 attempts.
CBS Sports had previously ranked Wood as the sixth best prospect in the minors. James Wood is a unique prospect with exceptional raw power, standing tall at 6-foot-6 and weighing 240 pounds. He has displayed massive home run potential, hitting six to left or left-center field out of his 28 total home runs. Despite his size, there is still room for him to add muscle to his frame in the years to come. As he grows physically, it is expected that he will move from center field to becoming one of the best sluggers in baseball. However, Wood’s long frame and patience can lead to high strikeout rates, which was evident by his 34% strikeout rate in Double-A. It will be crucial for him to lower this rate to unlock his superstar potential. In order to make room for Wood in both the active and 40-player rosters, Eddie Rosario was designated for assignment.