Nationals' James Wood breaks 50 RBIs with 2-run blast vs. Rockies
The post Nationals' James Wood breaks 50 RBIs with 2-run blast vs. Rockies appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood broke the 50 RBI mark with a clutch 2-run blast against the Colorado Rockies. The Nationals were riding an eight-game losing streak heading into this clash and falling significantly behind in the playoff hunt. The franchise has been rebuilding since its World Series title in 2019, going through several trying seasons.
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While it's been a long road back to relevance, this roster now has a few encouraging young players. The headline star is Wood, a 22-year-old whom the Nationals acquired via the Juan Soto deal in 2022. And there's a chance that Washington's left fielder goes on to have an even better career than Soto.
Wood hit his 18th home run of the season against the Rockies on Monday, while recording his 51st RBI. With more than half of the season to go, the 6-foot-7, 234-pound lefty will have plenty of highlights like the one below.
A former second-round pick out of Rockville, Maryland, Wood was ranked as the top prospect in the Nationals' farm system in 2023. From there, it's been a relatively seamless transition to big-league play. The young left fielder showed a lot of promise in his 79 games of action last season. And this year, Wood has elevated his game to an All-MLB level, leading Washington in batting average, home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, and hits.
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While the team's best hitter is still developing on defense, he is a tremendous athlete with an above-average arm. Wood, therefore, is this team's future, and it's very encouraging seeing him continue this positive momentum in the nation's capital. Overall, it won't be easy for the Nationals to make it to the playoffs with the way their division and league are shaping up over these next few years. But this franchise is slowly but surely working its way back to relevance and has the face to build around for the foreseeable future.
Related: Nationals' Daylen Lile hits 1st MLB home run vs. Rockies
Related: Davey Martinez passionately defends coaches amid Nationals' brutal slump
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