It did not take long for James Wood, the No. 3 prospect according to MLB.com , to make a good impression in his first big league appearance with the Washington Nationals.
The rookie left fielder earned his first MLB hit in his very first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning Monday night, smacking a line drive single to left centerfield past diving New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos.
To compare, Washington’s legendary first baseman Ryan Zimmerman didn’t get his first MLB hit until his second game back in September of 2005.
The rest of Wood’s at-bats were less eventful, recording a strikeout in the fourth inning and a groundout in the seventh. But he did reach second base in the bottom of the ninth after a throwing error by New York pitcher Jake Diekman.
The 21-year-old Wood got his big league call-up after dominating at Triple-A Rochester this season, so far posting a .353 batting average and a .463 on-base percentage.
Washington acquired Wood from the San Diego Padres as part of the Juan Soto trade in 2022, coming to the nation’s capital with prospects Mackenzie Gore and C.J. Abrams — both of which are regulars on the active roster.
Wood ended his night going 1-of-4 with a walk in what was a 9-7 extra-inning loss to New York.
