“I think it’s starting to hit me,” Wood said quietly.
Three and a half hours later, Mackenzie Gore hit an easy 95.6-mm fastball off New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso in the first inning. Then 10 minutes later, CJ Abrams hit a ball in right field for another hit and five minutes later That’s what he said. Who else could do a full-360-spin and throw to shoot Tyrone Taylor. Yes, the Washington Nationals lost their first game against the Mets, 9-7, in 10 innings on Monday night. But the Nats’ rebuild—painful, vital, but still painful—is starting to fall to pieces. Thank you San Diego Padres.
Wood’s major league debut with the Nats was the most anticipated since Bryce Harper’s, which was (sort of) a dozen years ago now. But unlike Harpers in 2012, like Juan Soto in 2018, like Trey Turner or Anthony Rendon in between. Those players, all rising stars, arrived on fully formed teams, in outfits built to compete. They can be convenient to assemble.
A 6-foot-7 stick should stand out. He took it to left field for the first inning where many people stood and gave him a standing ovation because he was the center of what was going on in this organization before he stepped into the big league batter’s box.
Will the face of the franchise move forward?
“I really try not to look at it that way,” he said.
It is appropriate. He may have no choice. As fans still reminiscing about the old glory watched as they licked the wounds left by recent seasons, Rap, the Nationals showed pregame video from spring training and Class AAA Rochester. They stopped when he went out for his first at-bat in the second. And they roared as he worked that at-bat for seven pitches, then hit a laser past Francisco Lindor to left-center.
“It’s very exciting, so interesting” said owner Mark Lerner, who appeared in the clubhouse and sat in front of Wood’s media session before the game. “We are seeing our vision begin to move forward. The growth the organization is making, this is really, really special.
Note for now and the future: The momentum doesn’t continue with Joey Menezes at first and Nick Senzel at third. It was time to be financially conservative and accumulate assets. That happened but it’s over. Spending time is coming – and fast.
It’s an ongoing conversation. Meanwhile, Wood’s first score was a reminder that the depths of despair can have a price. It should be noted that since the start of the 2020 season, no team has lost more than the national team. The lowest of those low points, emotionally if not visually, was August 2, 2022 — the day the Nats traded Soton to San Diego.
At the time, Wood was a 19-year-old who had never played above Class A, Abrams was a 21-year-old with a major injury in the minors, and Gore was a 23-year-old perennial prospect who had never shown the ability to consistently stay on the mound. As far as Nats fans were concerned, there were names on paper, a faceless return to a beloved, generational talent. Now, in general, they look like pillars of the franchise.
And who knows what will happen to Robert Hassell III, the outfielder still in Class AA, and Jarlin Susanna, the giant right-hander who might be ready to move out of low Class A? For an organization that needs more than five players, it’s five players. Meanwhile, Soto is still scheduled to become a free agent this offseason. (Psst, Mark Lerner. Don’t forget that fact as the offseason approaches. Fact: $500 million could be money well spent.)
Monday, then, was about what wood represents. But it was also about Wood as a player and a person. And that is important.
“I think he’s an impact player who has a chance to be a part of getting us back to where we were at 19,” Rochester Woods manager Matt Lecroy said.
That’s a header thing because ’19 is going to be a World Series year. A veteran of eight big league seasons, LeCroy served as a manager and coach in the Nationals organization for 17 more. He knows what to look for in player equipment. But he understands the makeup of what makes great big leaguers great.
“James was always a great guy,” LeCroy said by phone Monday. “He’s a quiet guy at times, but he treats everyone very well and with a lot of respect. He’s low key, but he plays the game the right way. I wasn’t sure what his character would look like on the field, but to me he was everything people talked about his ability to be – and more. He wants to train. For me, this is what opened my eyes to what he could be.
Wood didn’t immediately open up to Rochester’s coaching staff. “It took about three weeks,” LeCroy said. But then he left. He began questioning coach Billy McMillon about when and how aggressive the bases should be. His conversation with coach Brian Daubach deepened.
“He started that openness to learning,” LeCroy said. He just wanted to be a better player.
Wood is a process that cannot be stopped as an individual or as an organization. It was a step toward rebuilding Soto’s business. But there are steps ahead. As his costly sixth-inning error reminded everyone, Abrams could be more consistent. Gore’s 104-pitch outing brought explosives, but he may have been more efficient as he only struck out 17 times. Wood’s feet are rarely wet, and his first single at bat was followed by a three-pitch strikeout and a first-pitch out — and in a crazy play in the ninth, a squibber fell on the pitcher and Wood stopped. At second base, the play recorded an error that might have been a hit.
“As soon as the ball is snapped, I’m trying to rush and make it difficult for them,” Wood said.
He made it difficult on the Mets. It makes it difficult for other teams. And there are more pieces — Dylan Crews, Brady House, etc. — still to come.
“It’s hard not to see what’s going on,” said rookie midfielder Jacob Young, who has inserted himself as a potential piece. “You’re seeing that kind of core start to grow into something special in a few years.”
It should not be a few years. Maybe next year. Welcome to Washington James Wood. It is remembered that your first initiation was worthy of fornication. If so, you’ve grown the Nationals’ sights on the player. And if that happens, it means you’re starring in a perennial contender that made all the pain of the rebuild worth it.