There are certain baseball players who hit the ball louder even when they have not necessarily hit it faster or farther. Wood's bat makes a distinct, crisp, ringing sound even on grounders and foul balls. The thwack elongates and deepens into a thwock when he really connects, a noise that registers as a signal of terrible violence. A home run off the bat of Wood or Giancarlo Stanton has this primal resonance; the information it conveys causes a spontaneous reaction.
For fans of the Washington Nationals, those comforting noises evoke a physical sensation in a fan whose eyes are shut. To have a batter like Wood, who can swing a bat and create such audible excitement at just 21 years old, feels like being blessing by a baseball angel. Every plate appearance feels like an event, revealing a tremendous potential that hints at the future of the Nationals.
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