After tearing up opposing pitching in Triple-A this season, Washington Nationals outfielder James Wooden has reportedly obtained the decision to the majors and is about to make his much-anticipated MLB debut on Monday.
Wooden was shut to creating the Nationals roster out of spring coaching after placing up a .364 batting common with 4 house runs and 7 RBI in 44 at-bats, however was despatched to the minors to get some extra expertise.Â
In 51 Triple-A video games, the 21-year-old is slashing .346/.458/.578 with ten house runs, 34 RBI and ten stolen bases. Most significantly, he has proven super enchancment on the plate, reducing down on his strikeouts with solely 41 this season after having 173 in 2023.
Acquired within the commerce that despatched outfielder Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, Wooden was part of a franchise-altering haul together with shortstop C.J. Abrams, pitcher MacKenzie Gore and outfield prospect Robert Hassell that would assist the Nationals grow to be contenders within the coming years.
A second-round draft choose within the 2021 MLB Draft by the Padres, Wooden stands at 6-foot-7 and possesses plus velocity. Whereas not the prototypical centerfielder, he’s greater than able to taking part in the place within the majors.Â
With speedy outfielder Jacob Younger presently patrolling centerfield, Wooden will possible slide over to a nook outfield spot, or he might additionally spend time as a delegated hitter throughout his debut.
Because of his superior really feel within the batter’s field, Wooden is the kind of participant who could be very more likely to see on the spot success and will grow to be the brand new face of the Nationals franchise, one which has not seen very a lot success since its World Sequence title run in 2019.
Having suffered via 4 straight dropping seasons, the Nationals presently sit 4 video games under the .500 mark at 38-42. With their added firepower, they may look to finish that streak this season.
If Wooden continues to be out there in your fantasy baseball league, he’s a must-add expertise who might pay big dividends within the second half of the season.
