May 9, 2024
ANALYSISAfter slugging two more homers Wednesday, the 21-year-old outfielder has hit safely in 14 of the last 15 games for Triple-A Rochester, slashing .356/.449/.542 over that stretch with a 10:13 BB:K. Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday the organization is sticking to its plan for Wood, however, and that he still has some things to learn in the minors. "He needs to get a bunch of at-bats," Martinez said. "He needs to learn some different things. We want him to get better against left-handed pitching. Want him to understand the baserunning stuff. All that stuff. He's striking out 33 percent of the time against lefties, so I really want him to work on that." While the Nats are trying to temper expectations for Wood, it's hard to imagine a veteran player like
Eddie Rosario or
Jesse Winker would represent a true obstacle for the top prospect once he's deemed ready.