James Wood after one baseball year

A baseball year is 162 games, and on June 28 the Nationals played their 162nd game since James Wood debuted on July 1, 2024.

James Wood

G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
162	703	608	95	166	32	4	31	105	24	.273	.367	.492

His wRC+ was 139 and his overall offensive and defensive performance (or wins above replacement) was worth 4.7 wins according to Fangraphs and 4.9 wins according to Baseball Reference.

Let’s compare his record with Juan Soto‘s first baseball year:

Juan Soto

G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
150	644	541	95	151	31	1	28	94	8	.279	.393	.495

Soto debuted on May 20, 2018* and the team’s 162nd game came on May 17, 2019. He missed 12 games during that span. His batting average and slugging percentage were very similar to Wood’s, but Soto drew 101 walks (versus 89 for Wood), so his on-base percentage was 26 points higher. Soto’s wRC+ was 136. Wood’s extra playing time and slightly better defensive statistics leave him a little bit ahead of Soto in fWAR (4.7 to 4.2).

(* Soto shows up in the record as playing in a game on May 15, 2018, five days before his major league debut. It was a suspended game that was completed on June 18, with Soto playing in the final three innings of that game. I’ve counted it as part of Soto’s first baseball year.)

Let’s add Bryce Harper to the comparison:

Bryce Harper

G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
158	677	604	111	170	30	9	29	73	19	.281	.352	.505

Harper’s first baseball year was from April 28, 2012 to April 23, 2013. Harper had fewer walks than Wood (65 compared to 89), so his OBP is lower. But his 9 triples helped him have the highest slugging percentage of the three. His wRC+ was 132, the lowest of the three players, but he played center field well, so his defensive value boosted his fWAR to 5.8, the highest of the three players.

Overall, Wood’s first statistical year looks extremely good. Compared to all MLB position players over the last year, he ranks 22nd in fWAR, indicating that he’s been playing at an elite All-Star level, though not quite at an MVP level. We’ve seen that his first statistical year was comparable to those of Soto and Harper, though we should emphasize that they were two and a half years younger than Wood when they completed those seasons. The other thing that’s notable about Wood is that going from 2024 to 2025, his performance has substantially improved. If he can keep it up, his first full season will be one to remember.