The Washington Nationals aren’t competing this season.
Washington is just 44-67, sporting the third-worst record in Major League Baseball ahead of only the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox.
Their bad season has gotten even worse since July 3. Washington is just 7-17 since that date, but the date is special because the sensational James Wood had five hits on that day.
It’s been a rough go-around for Wood since his five-hit game, only having hits in 10 of his last 84 at-bats (.119 batting average).
Over that stretch, Wood has just one home run and 41 strikeouts. He has struck out multiple times in 12 out of 22 games, three strikeouts in eight games and two four-strikeout games.
Wood, 22, is a phenomenal player, but even the best of the best endure tough slumps.
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The 2025 All-Star has 24 home runs and 71 RBI while slashing .258/.361/.484 in 109 games this season.
He is a plus-defender and can steal a bag if necessary. He has 14 stolen bases on 19 attempts this year.
He is the epitome of a star player who does everything on the field and he is only 22-years-old.
If anyone is worried about Wood going forward, don’t be. He is a great player going through a slump, it happens, it’s baseball.
Wood will be one of the league’s best players for years to come and continue taking the baseball world by storm. As for the Nationals, it doesn’t seem like their slump is one they can break out of.
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