James Wood was moved to the leadoff spot for Washington, replacing C.J. Abrams in the lineup. Wood produces frequent baserunners by leading the National League in walks and on-base percentage and by stealing 10 bases in 11 attempts. His high on-base rate and Abrams’ success behind him contribute to Wood leading the majors in runs scored, with Washington topping all MLB teams in runs. Wood’s power is often directed into left-center, making opposite-field air balls notable. In 2025, only six of his 31 homers went to right field. An example was an inside-the-park grand slam on May 19, driven as an opposite-field liner that struck the top of the wall in deep left and impacted Mets outfielders.
"Rookie Nationals manager Blake Butera, a disturbingly young fellow who looks like he should be one of the nine guys in this video, moved Wood to the top of Washington's lineup back in the spring, gradually swapping the places of Wood and former leadoff guy C.J. Abrams, who is now Washington's regular cleanup hitter. Wood is good at leadoff stuff: He leads the National League in walks and on-base percentage, and has successfully stolen 10 bags in 11 tries."
"Because he gets on base a lot, and because Abrams is thriving behind him, Wood leads the majors pretty comfortably in runs scored. The Nationals, in fact, lead all MLB teams in runs. All you care about is dingers. Wah wah wah, show me the dingers, you are wailing, smacking your sippy cup onto your tray table and shooting milk everywhere. Dingers are only one part of the game!"
"Simple dinger appreciators will see nothing particularly noteworthy in a lefty slugger wrapping a sockdolager around the foul pole in right field. Committed James Wood watchers (subtle observers; sophisticated; dashingly handsome) will tell you-in fact, are telling you, this very minute-that this dinger is a rare and precious delight. We had fun last season watching Wood's spray chart and noting how long into the season he went before pulling a single ball in the air."
"Of the 31 homers Wood clubbed in 2025, just six were pulled to right. Because of how Wood likes to swing the bat, and because he is so enormous, he has always tended to do most of his power hitting into the alley in left-center. It has gotten to the point where anytime Wood hits the ball in the air the other way, you should go ahead and stand up. The inside-the-park grand slam he hit on May 19, for instance, was a screaming opposite-field liner that bonked off the top of the wall in deep left, causing earthquake-like reverberations that incapacitated two Mets outfielders."
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