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James Wood’s Unconventional Path to Success

Washington Nationals rookie James Wood has as much offensive upside as any prospect in baseball. Since his call-up, we have seen why Wood was such a highly touted prospect. Wood is hitting .284 with a .831 OPS, which amounts to a 135 wRC+. He has been red hot lately, hitting .372 with a 1.112 OPS over his last 21 games. However, this success has come with an unusual approach: James Wood is barely pulling the baseball. In fact, he pulled a fly ball for the first time on Sunday.

James Wood’s Unconventional Path to Success

A Unique Approach

In the modern game, pulling the ball in the air is a massively desirable outcome. Statistically, it is the most productive batted ball outcome. Players such as Isaac Paredes have made a career out of pulling fly balls. Paredes has pedestrian exit velocities, but still hit 31 home runs last year due to tapping into his pull-side power. Pulling fly balls is the current hitting meta.

However, James Wood is not doing this at all. Before Sunday, he had not pulled a single fly ball in his 172 plate appearances. He was also hitting the ball on the ground at a 58% rate. In other words, his approach to hitting was as inefficient as it possibly could be. Wood has been striking out a lot, hitting the ball on the ground a lot, and never pulling the ball. His results should be disastrous, but they are not. James Wood is an outlier. He can succeed without pulling the ball at all, but some occasional pulls would not hurt. We saw what he could do when he finally pulled a fly ball.

Why Wood Succeeds

Simply put, James Wood succeeds because he destroys baseballs. He has the 5th highest average velocity of anyone with at least 150 plate appearances. He only trails Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Oneil Cruz, and Juan Soto with his 94.6 MPH average exit velocity. His 56.4% hard-hit rate only trails Judge, Ohtani, and Soto. In other words, he is hitting the snot out of the ball. This gives Wood a bigger margin for error. He can succeed without an optimal spray chart. Wood has always had a swing geared for hitting the ball the other way, but it was not this extreme in the minor leagues.

There are a number of theories about why this is happening. He could just be getting used to the big leagues, or he might be trying to go the other way more. manager Davey Martinez‘s theory is that teams are pitching Wood in a way where he is not able to pull the ball. He is succeeding anyway, but it is tantalizing to think about what Wood could be if he taps into pull-side power.

The Sky’s the Limit

Wood’s production while not tapping into his pull side just shows how high his ceiling is. He is a raw 21-year-old succeeding in his first taste of big-league action despite having so much room to improve. The opposite field power is part of what makes Wood special, and should not be phased out. Hitters like Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are so special because they can hit it out to all fields. However, the pull side is part of the field too, and once Wood starts showing off that power, it could be a wrap for opposing pitchers.

 

Photo Credit: © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Sallick

Sam Sallick

Sam Sallick is a DC native and lifelong football fan that is willing to call it as he sees it. He is passionate about sports journalism and storytelling. Sallick has covered the sporting world extensively.

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