American baseball player (born 2002)
Baseball player
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
St. John's College 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] Wood was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on July 1, 2024, after hitting .353 with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 52 games at
Triple-A .
[20] On July 1, he got his first hit, a single, in the second inning against
New York Mets ' pitcher
David Peterson .
[21]
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.
[22] His sister, Sydney Wood, played college basketball for
Northwestern and was a team captain.
[23] Wood is the nephew of former
National Basketball Association player
Howard Wood .
[24]
References
^ Stubbs, Roman (March 19, 2020).
"For St. John's baseball team, a requirement to play for coach's private team causes turmoil" .
Washington Post .
Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021 .
^
"Ball bounces James Wood" . Perfect Game .
Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021 .
^
"MSU 2021 commitment James Wood comes from an athletic family" . GenesPage.com .
Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021 .
^
"2021 MLB Draft Prospect James Wood Generates Immense Scouting Buzz" .
Baseball America . August 31, 2020.
Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021 .
^ Callis, Jim (August 12, 2020).
" '21 Draft prospects starred at Area Codes" .
MLB.com .
Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021 .
^ Robertson, Steve (July 12, 2021).
"Bulldog signee James Wood selected by Padres" .
247Sports.com .
Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021 .
^
"San Diego Padres pick Mississippi State signee James Wood in Round 2 of 2021 MLB Draft" .
The Clarion-Ledger . July 12, 2021.
Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021 .
^
"Padres' James Wood: Drafted by Padres" .
CBS Sports . July 12, 2021.
Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021 .
^
"Padres sign second-rounder James Wood for $2.6 million" .
The San Diego Union-Tribune . July 20, 2021.
Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021 .
^ Sanders, Jeff (July 30, 2021).
"Minors: Missions power up; James Wood makes pro debut in Arizona" .
The San Diego Union-Tribune .
Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021 .
^
"Minors: Where the Padres' top prospects are to start 2022" . April 9, 2022.
^ Cassavell, AJ (August 2, 2022).
"Padres finalize deal with Nats to land Soto, Bell" .
MLB.com . Retrieved August 2, 2022 .
^
"Returning home, James Wood makes instant impact with FredNats" .
The Free Lance–Star . August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022 .
^ Blanco, Bobby (September 27, 2022).
"Prospects at instructional league visited Nats in Miami" .
MASN . Retrieved January 26, 2023 .
^ Blanco, Bobby (April 14, 2023).
"Quiet Wood is secretly the funny leader of talented Wilmington roster" .
MASN . Retrieved April 14, 2023 .
^
"Nationals prospect James Wood promoted to Harrisburg Senators" .
The Washington Post . May 28, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023 .
^
"James Wood Minor Leagues Statistics" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved June 17, 2024 .
^
"Former FredNats Wood, House to appear in MLB Futures Game" .
The Free Lance–Star . June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023 .
^
"Nationals' James Wood: Starting season at Triple-A" . CBSSports.com . March 26, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024 .
^ Communications, Nationals (July 1, 2024).
"Nationals select the contract of top prospect James Wood" . Medium . Retrieved July 1, 2024 .
^
"James Wood logs his first MLB hit" . X.com . July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024 .
^
"James Wood, Son Of East Hampton Basketball Legend Kenny Wood, Makes His Mark On Baseball Diamond" . December 9, 2020.
Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021 .
^
"Nationals prospect James Wood challenges baseball's size bias" .
The Washington Post . May 25, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023 .
^ Lin, Dennis (April 28, 2022).
"How James Wood, an outfielder with first-round draft talent, fell to the Padres in the second" .
The Athletic . Retrieved June 29, 2023 .
External links
Active roster Inactive roster Injured list Coaching staff