James Wood (baseball) explained

James Wood
Width:175
Team:Washington Nationals
Number:29
Position:Outfielder
Birth Date:17 September 2002
Birth Place:Rockville, Maryland, U.S.
Bats:Left
Throws:Right
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:July 1
Debutyear:2024
Debutteam:Washington Nationals
Statleague:MLB
Statyear:August 21, 2024
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.288
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:5
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:28
Teams:

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.

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]

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]

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.[23] His sister, Sydney Wood, played college basketball for Northwestern and was a team captain.[24] Wood is the nephew of former NBA player Howard Wood.[25]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: For St. John's baseball team, a requirement to play for coach's private team causes turmoil. Roman. Stubbs. Washington Post. March 19, 2020. July 21, 2021. May 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200527062414/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/03/19/st-johns-baseball-team-requirement-play-coachs-private-team-causes-turmoil/. live.
  2. Web site: Ball bounces James Wood. Perfect Game. July 21, 2021. June 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210629065845/https://www.perfectgame.org/articles/View.aspx?article=18886. live.
  3. Web site: MSU 2021 commitment James Wood comes from an athletic family. GenesPage.com. July 21, 2021. December 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211218083008/https://247sports.com/college/mississippi-state/Article/Mississippi-State-2021-commitment-James-Wood-148665646/. live.
  4. Web site: 2021 MLB Draft Prospect James Wood Generates Immense Scouting Buzz. Baseball America. August 31, 2020. July 21, 2021. July 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721131307/https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2021-mlb-draft-prospect-james-wood-generates-immense-scouting-buzz/. live.
  5. Web site: '21 Draft prospects starred at Area Codes. Jim. Callis. MLB.com. August 12, 2020. July 21, 2021. July 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721131306/https://www.mlb.com/news/area-code-games-top-performers. live.
  6. Web site: Bulldog signee James Wood selected by Padres. Steve. Robertson. 247Sports.com. July 12, 2021. July 13, 2021. July 12, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210712175741/https://247sports.com/college/mississippi-state/Article/James-Wood-Mississippi-State-MLB-draft-San-Diego-Padres-167663576/. live.
  7. Web site: San Diego Padres pick Mississippi State signee James Wood in Round 2 of 2021 MLB Draft. The Clarion-Ledger. July 12, 2021. July 13, 2021. December 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211218083002/https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/mississippi-state/2021/07/12/james-wood-mlb-draft-2021-mississippi-state-baseball/7915277002/. live.
  8. Web site: Padres' James Wood: Drafted by Padres. CBS Sports. July 12, 2021. July 13, 2021. July 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210713191446/https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/padres-james-wood-drafted-by-padres/. live.
  9. Web site: Padres sign second-rounder James Wood for $2.6 million. The San Diego Union-Tribune. July 20, 2021. July 21, 2021. July 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721020414/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2021-07-20/padres-james-wood-2021-mlb-draft-ryan-och-ryan-bergert. live.
  10. Web site: Minors: Missions power up; James Wood makes pro debut in Arizona. Jeff. Sanders. The San Diego Union-Tribune. July 30, 2021. July 30, 2021. July 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210730122215/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2021-07-30/padres-minor-league-report-esteury-ruiz-james-wood. live.
  11. Web site: Minors: Where the Padres' top prospects are to start 2022. April 9, 2022.
  12. Web site: Padres finalize deal with Nats to land Soto, Bell. AJ. Cassavell. MLB.com. August 2, 2022. August 2, 2022.
  13. Web site: Returning home, James Wood makes instant impact with FredNats. The Free Lance–Star. August 9, 2022. August 10, 2022.
  14. Web site: Prospects at instructional league visited Nats in Miami. Bobby. Blanco. MASN. September 27, 2022. January 26, 2023.
  15. Web site: Quiet Wood is secretly the funny leader of talented Wilmington roster. Bobby. Blanco. MASN. April 14, 2023. April 14, 2023.
  16. Web site: Nationals prospect James Wood promoted to Harrisburg Senators. The Washington Post. May 28, 2023. June 27, 2023.
  17. Web site: James Wood Minor Leagues Statistics . June 17, 2024 . Baseball-Reference.com . en.
  18. Web site: Former FredNats Wood, House to appear in MLB Futures Game. The Free Lance–Star. June 26, 2023. June 27, 2023.
  19. Web site: March 26, 2024 . Nationals' James Wood: Starting season at Triple-A . June 17, 2024 . CBSSports.com . en.
  20. Web site: Communications . Nationals . 2024-07-01 . Nationals select the contract of top prospect James Wood . 2024-07-01 . Medium . en.
  21. Web site: James Wood Ranks No. 1 In July 2024 Top 100 MLB Prospects Update . 2024-08-13 . Baseball America . July 12, 2024.
  22. Web site: July 1, 2024 . James Wood logs his first MLB hit . July 1, 2024 . X.com.
  23. Web site: James Wood, Son Of East Hampton Basketball Legend Kenny Wood, Makes His Mark On Baseball Diamond. December 9, 2020. July 21, 2021. July 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721131317/https://sagharborexpress.com/james-wood-son-of-east-hampton-basketball-legend-kenny-wood-makes-his-mark-on-baseball-diamond/?wallit_nosession=1. live.
  24. Web site: Nationals prospect James Wood challenges baseball's size bias. The Washington Post. May 25, 2023. June 29, 2023.
  25. Web site: How James Wood, an outfielder with first-round draft talent, fell to the Padres in the second. Dennis. Lin. The Athletic. April 28, 2022. June 29, 2023.

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