With CJ Abrams out of the lineup, James Wood hit leadoff and I liked what I saw
At first when I saw James Wood in the leadoff spot for the Washington Nationals I was confused. However, the more I thought about it, the more it makes sense. James Wood really does fit the mold of a modern leadoff hitter.
Back in 2021, Davey Martinez made a bold move that became one of his greatest moves. He moved Kyle Schwarber to the leadoff spot. Kyle Schwarber is not your prototypical leadoff man. He is the embodiment of a slugger. However, there was one thing he did well that made him a good leadoff man. He saw a lot of pitches.
That is something that James Wood does as well. Wood has a very patient approach that can even be too passive at times. He waits for his pitch and does not chase often. That is what the best leadoff hitters do.
However, our current leadoff hitter CJ Abrams chases a lot. It is probably the biggest weakness in his game. Abrams looks like a prototypical leadoff man, with a thin build and fantastic speed. However, his approach is not a leadoff man’s approach.
Over the last couple years, Abrams has really leaned into being more of a power hitter. He is looking to drive the ball rather than take his base hits. Honestly, it would be fun to see CJ in the 3 or 4 hole. That way he can lean into that power even more and just do his thing.
Abrams is never going to be a super patient hitter, nor should he, it is not his game. If he tried to be like Juan Soto, he would be taking a lot of pitches he could drive. However, I really think CJ has 30 homer upside and we could see that in the middle of a lineup.
James Wood had a great game last night, with a home run and a walk. I really think him leading off had something to do with that. The quality of his at bats were excellent and he wasn’t trying to do too much. Wood is at his best when he isn’t trying to hit for power. However, he has so much pop that he can still hit a lot of homers even without swinging for the fences.
The James Wood leadoff idea is something Davey should consider leaning into long term. It may seem strange, but I think Wood does a lot of lead off man type of things. The role is also one which will bring the best out of Wood. I think the Nationals may have found something here.