WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The plays circulating on social media are both obvious and appropriate, because no one else in the Washington Nationals camp — shooting, few others in baseball — can hit home runs like that halfway to Mars James Wood started the first two games of spring training. The first, on Saturday evening, was majestic, skirting the edge of the grass in right field at Park of the Palm Beaches. Sunday's second goal was majestic, flying over the centerfield fence at Roger Dean Stadium up the road in Jupiter.
But as you evaluate and process the start of Wood's spring — which is the liveliest part of a Nats camp full of excitement — think about the little roller he hit to the right side of the infield on Sunday, one Ball in no man's land between the pitcher, an incoming second baseman and a first baseman trying to decide whether to rush forward or retreat into the pocket. Here came Wood, 6 feet tall and 250 pounds, walking like a cheetah.
“You saw that too?” said Delino DeShields, Woods’ manager last year at Class AA Harrisburg. “Wow.”
“We're all sitting there like, 'Didn't you just see that?'” said Dylan Crews, another aspiring outfielder. “That was impressive.”
The result was nothing, as Miami Marlins second baseman Luis Arráez reached the ball just in time to get it out for the first time. Perhaps the only aspect of Nats camp more impressive than Wood in the box is Wood on the basepaths, where he devours ground like Joey Chestnut devours hot dogs.
“It seemed like it took him six steps to get there,” Crews said. “It’s crazy how fast he can move even though he’s so big.”
February is the perfect time to get overly excited about a player who has yet to play a regular season above Class AA and who just turned 21 in September. Wood will have his time, and it probably won't be on March 28 when the Nationals open the season in Cincinnati.
“There are spots on this team up for grabs,” said veteran left-back Patrick Corbin, “and he has as good a chance as anyone.”
Let’s not get into playing general manager right now. That's Mike Rizzo's job, and those decisions will be made after a month of spring training games, not three. The most important thing about Wood's early appearances here isn't where he'll be playing in April. It's about who he is and how he does things.
“Go beyond his talent because that's very, very obvious, right?” said DeShields, who played 13 seasons in the majors. “He’s just a really intelligent conversationalist. Really smart. Just someone who you have to think clearly about when you approach him because it’s going to be a serious conversation.”
Wood appears to have a serious approach. On Monday morning, as he prepared to take batting practice in a backfield here with a group that included Crews and fellow prospect Robert Hassell III, Wood went to the dugout, picked up a large portable speaker and rolled it to the cage. However, he didn't pump up the music, instead he adjusted the volume so that the coach and players could hear each other. As he entered the box for his first swing – he's a left-handed hitter – he intentionally let the ball wander deep into the zone and swung it late, sending the balls down the left field line in the opposite direction.
“I don’t like pulling the ball at BP,” he said. “I just want to stay in baseball.”
This trick allows Wood to estimate how long he might wait for a fastball, giving him time to adjust if a breaking pitch comes instead. It also shows a maturity in preparation that is unusual for 21-year-olds.
“He just does everything right,” manager Dave Martinez said. “Even when you watch him play defense, his pre-pitch [preparation] is good. He manages jumps on balls. He runs the bases hard. …I have no complaints. I love watching him play.”
Wood's size cannot be overlooked and it certainly generates a lot of his power. A longtime member of the organization compared Wood's offensive game to that of Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, a former National League MVP. It's telling that at 6-3 and 207 pounds, Yelich is a full three inches shorter and nearly 30 pounds lighter than Wood. Martinez said he thinks Wood, who came to the Nationals two summers ago as part of the pickup of Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, appears stronger in the upper body and somehow broader in the shoulders compared to last spring.
“I told him, 'Hey, I think your shoulders are straight,'” and he started making a “V” shape with his hands, “like your wings were sprouting.”
“You think like an Aaron Judge-type player,” Corbin said, referring to the 6-7, 282-pound New York Yankees giant. “There just aren’t a lot of these people in the game.”
But Wood fails to harness the power such a frame can generate, turning it into a violent swing. His first home run came off Houston minor leaguer Misael Tamarez's fastball after a light, balanced swing. It created a bang that startled people all over the park.
“His swing is so easy,” said infield prospect Trey Lipscomb, Wood’s offseason training partner and spring training roommate. “But we were joking in the locker room and said, 'Hey, did you see the home run?' 'No, but I heard it.'”
It traveled a distance of 422 feet. His home run Sunday was perhaps more impressive because it came from both a left-handed hitter – veteran Miami reliever Devin Smeltzer – and a swinging break ball that was almost a replica of a pitch he hit earlier in the swing.
It also traveled 422 feet.
“I feel like I’ve prepared,” Wood said, “and it’s just time to go out and compete.”
In the bottom of Monday's 6-3 loss to the New York Mets, after Wood singled in his first at-bat, another unremarkable but very important step came. Against right-hander Joander Suarez, Wood made two borderline throws right on the outside edge of the plate. Instead of extending the strike zone, he walked.
“That’s exactly what we’re talking about,” Martinez said.
Camp is three games old. Exhibition games wait for a month, then the regular season begins. James Wood has a total of seven record appearances. But he's already produced two worthy highlights that will amaze everyone who sees them and fill in all the other important things in between.