Nationals star James Wood joins MVP conversation after another monster game

The order can be debated, but Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are considered the two best players in MLB right now by a fairly wide margin. They showed why on Friday, as matched up against each other, they both went yard. Aaron Judge hit a ball that probably still hasn't landed yet to the opposite field, and not only did Ohtani match him, but he launched a second home run in the Los Angeles Dodgers' victory. While those two players are clear MVP favorites in their respective leagues, Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood shows why he has to be part of the conversation by joining the home run party.

Wood got a high fastball from Merrill Kelly, and it's safe to say he didn't miss it. He launched an opposite-field home run of his own, and he crushed it. The ball went 106.8 mph off his bat and traveled 401 feet. It looked completely effortless for Wood, who now has four home runs and 10 RBI over his last six games.

This latest hot streak has only added to what's been a ridiculous first full season for Wood.

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James Wood continues to establish himself as a legitimate MVP candidate

After going deep and reaching base twice in Washington's 9-7 win, Wood is slashing .287/.385/.579 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI in 57 games of action. He's even tacked on 15 doubles and nine stolen bases. Expectations were high for Wood, who was one of MLB's top prospects at this time last season, but he's exceeded them and then some. There was always hope that he'd eventually become one of the best players in the game. He's already at that level, and he's doing this as a 22-year-old.

Wood ranks ninth among qualified position players with a 165 WRC+, ahead of superstars like Rafael Devers, Kyle Tucker, and Jose Ramirez. He's tied for ninth among qualified position players with 2.5 fWAR, ahead of players like Fernando Tatis Jr., Francisco Lindor, and Manny Machado. He's tied for fifth in the majors in home runs, ahead of players like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Riley Greene, and Pete Alonso. He's tied for sixth in the majors in RBI, ahead of players like Kyle Schwarber, Cal Raleigh, and Elly De La Cruz.

Beating Ohtani in the MVP race is a daunting task, especially if Ohtani returns to the mound sometime in the second half, but with Wood playing like this, can we really count him out? He's putting up these numbers despite being surrounded by lackluster talent, hitting the ball on the ground 52.3 percent of the time, according to Baseball Savant, and rarely pulling the ball in the air. His numbers can only improve once he learns how to lift the ball more, especially to his pull side.

Even if Wood doesn't win the award, he deserves to be considered a superstar. Yes, he's already at that level, and is an absolute joy to watch.