James Wood has been fantastic all season, but so far in July he is hitting at a level that should be impossible. After a slow month of June by his lofty standards, Wood has hit the after burners in the lead up to the All-Star Break. In 10 games, Wood is hitting .441 with a 1.788 OPS, which is hard to do on easy mode in a video game.
The numbers keep getting crazier as you go through them. Wood
has homered in 7 of the 10 games this month while pitchers have been trying to pitch around him. I know they are pitching around him because he already has 15 walks this month. James Wood has been performing at a Barry Bonds level this month. For the month, Wood has a .612 OBP, which is very Bonds-like. It is pretty wild that Bonds sustained a .609 OBP for a full season.
One of the coolest things about this month from Wood is that he is doing it while avoiding the strikeout. The 23 year old slugger has had great months before, but he still usually strikes out a fair bit. In 49 plate appearances this month, Wood just has 5 strikeouts.
For a big slugger, a 30.6% K rate and 10.2% BB rate would not be too unusual. However, that 30.6% number is Wood’s walk rate in July and the 10.2% is his strikeout rate. It has just been 10 games, but in those games James Wood has ascended into a baseball god. Despite having a baseball goliath on their team, the Nationals bullpen is so bad, they are just 4-6 in those 10 games.
Last week was probably the best week of Wood’s career. He easily won NL player of the week honors thanks to his comically good numbers. Wood was 10 for 20 with 5 homers, 8 RBI, 9 walks and 11 runs scored. That is pretty good if you ask me.
This start to July is a very good sign for Wood, who started to really tail off around this time last year. He actually got off to a great start in July, with a 5 for 5 game against the Tigers on July 3rd. However, the strikeouts really started to pile up for him after that, and the slugger limped into the All-Star Break. He continued to struggle from there before picking things up a bit in September.
With no Home Run Derby to worry about this year, Wood heads into the break riding high. Despite not starting due to the ignorance of the fans, Wood is still an All-Star for the second straight year. He had great numbers heading into the break last year, but he is even better in 2026.
Wood is hitting .279 with a .410 OBP and a .985 OPS for the season. He also has 28 home runs, which is just three off his total from last season and has chipped in with 15 steals as well. Wood is also third in all of baseball with 4.6 fWAR. However, the craziest stat is the 89 runs Wood has scored, which just laps the field. He has 21 more runs than the second place player, which is an historic margin at the All-Star Break.
From the leadoff spot James Wood is just stuffing the statsheet. Outside of a couple rough weeks, which happens to even the best players, Wood has been ultra-consistent this season. He has been the engine which ignites the best offense in all of baseball. Wood is a power hitter, an on base machine and a stolen base threat all wrapped into one. Having a 6’6 behemoth in the leadoff spot is a bit unorthodox, but James Wood really has been the perfect leadoff man for this offense.
Wood already has 10 leadoff homers this season, which is just totally outrageous. However, it is not just the homers that make him a great leadoff man. He sees so many pitches and sets the tone right away. Pitchers need to show off their entire arsenal to start a game.
Between Bryce Harper and Juan Soto, we have seen some special left handed outfielders in DC. James Wood is on that level, and is that special of a player. I had my doubts after the way he finished last season, but he had made an extreme statement this season, and especially this month. Wood is a local kid as well, which would make it even tougher if he departs just like Harper and Soto. I pray that Wood can be a National for life.
I thought Luis Garcia Jr. had the best month we would see from a National this season, but it seems like I was wrong. Wood has been even better so far in July. If he comes even close to keeping this up, he should be an easy pick for NL Player of the Month.
In July, James Wood looks like he is playing on easy mode and just waiting to get to the next level. However, he is playing against the best guys in the world and there is no next level. He has truly been a baseball god so far in July, and the Nats need to build around Wood for years to come.
