Slugger James Wood spoke with FanSided courtesy of Levy, the food, beverage and hospitality partner of the Washington Nationals. Look out for special Juiced Ball Donuts, debuting at Nationals Park (and other Levy venues) this season. Wood is a big donut, funnel cake, and churro guy, for what it's worth.
While Washington Nationals star James Wood got his first taste of the big leagues last season, his arrival was a long time coming - yes, well before he was a highly touted San Diego Padres draft steal who was dealt for Juan Soto, given a rare chance to come home again.
Wood's wholly unique talent was evident back in high school, brandishing a smooth swing he crafted by watching Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, and Yordan Álvarez during his school days in DC and in Florida at IMG Academy.
"During a Perfect Game tournament, there's a video of me hitting a fastball that's probably up around my shoulders, and I swung at it," Wood relayed. "You swing at that, and you're like, 'What am I doing?' and I didn't really see where the ball went, but I just see everyone screaming and going crazy. I'm like, 'I guess I hit it out. I guess it's a homer.'."
Wood's propensity for breaking brains will make him a DC favorite this season, which matters even more to him than most. After all, he was born in Rockville, MD and grew up playing in Washington. When he wears the City Connects, he truly connects to the city (and, yes, he misses the Cherry Blossoms, too, though he's glad they're still on the hat).
Making his city proud - and surprising MLB fans who tuned out when the Soto trade was finalized - is especially meaningful to Wood. Thankfully, he and his partner in crime Dylan Crews might spur a faster turnaround time than many pundits are expecting. The two outfielders have the chance to someday be baseball's best pairing at the position, and both had the luxury of leaning on one another while coming up through the system.
Washington Nationals star James Wood can't wait to surprise people alongside fellow outfielder Dylan Crews in DC
"It was really cool, especially at the later levels of the minor leagues, to get to play with [Dylan]," Wood told FanSided. "Just to get to know each other. Obviously, the goal is to get to play with him for a really long time, so i'm just hoping for a really long career with him."
Based on the way Crews and Wood destroy the baseball, expect a really loud impact early on from both members of the duo. Like Wood taking a shoulder-high fastball out of the ballpark, sometimes you can't see it coming (even though you probably should).