After much speculation, the Washington Nationals have promoted top prospect James Wood to the MLB. It was believed that this milestone could take place at any moment and that life-changing moment has finally come for the 21-year-old from Rockville, Maryland.
A truly special talent, James Wood is one of the brightest prospects for the Washington Nationals. At a whopping six-foot-seven, Wood's MLB debut on Monday against the New York Mets will be something to behold.
The Nationals will now receive major reinforcements from the MLB's #3 ranked prospect, behind only Jackson Holliday and Junior Caminero.
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"James Wood finding out he’s going to the big leagues" - @TalkinBaseball_
In a video making its way across social media, Matt LeCroy, manager of the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings spoke highly of Wood before telling him that he was officially being promoted to the MLB. The emotional video showed Wood's minor league coach explaining not only the talented player that Wood is, but also the person he is as well.
"I'm proud of the person that you are," LeCroy said to Wood in the video. "Don't ever change because I think you are going to play for a long, long time now," he continued in the emotional exchange between the player and coach.
This season, Wood has been tremendous in the minor leagues. Through 52 games with Triple-A Rochester, the hard-hitting outfielder posted an incredible .353 batting average with 10 home runs, 37 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
James Woods' MLB promotion brings attention back to the blockbuster trade that landed him in Washington
With all the excitement around one of the MLB's top young players reaching the majors, fans and experts have taken a look back into the league-altering deal that brought him to Washington.
In unquestionably the biggest deal of the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline, the Washington Nationals sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Luke Voit, C.J. Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Jarlin Susana.
"The Nationals officially select the contract of OF James Wood, Washington’s top prospect and the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball. He was a key part of the Juan Soto trade to SD" - @Britt_Ghiroli
At the time, fans across the league were raving about the Padres landing one of the best players in the MLB. However, now a few years on, the trade may have been a landslide victory for the Nationals. James Wood will now be joining established young stars C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore on the MLB roster.
If Wood can live up to the hype around him, Washington could find themselves back in contention sooner rather than later. For now, the eyes of the MLB will be focused on his debut against the New York Mets.
