Washington Nationals star James Wood is in his first real slump of the season and I am interested to see when he gets back on track
James Wood has hit his real bump in the road. For the first time all season, Wood’s swing looks really off kilter and he appears uncomfortable at the plate. Strikeouts have always been a part of his game, but right now they are really piling up. However, he is too good not to snap out of this and I am interested to see how he finds his groove again.
For most of the season, it has been smooth sailing for James Wood. He has 3.7 fWAR and has been by far the best left fielder in baseball. However, the past couple weeks the 6’7 slugger has been off his game. Whether it is the Home Run Derby curse or just hitting a wall, the Nats slugger has not looked like himself.
In the last seven games, Wood is 3/26 with 16 strikeouts. He has seven strikeouts in his last two games and just can’t seem to make contact. As a bigger guy with longer levers, it is easy to lose your stroke a bit. That looks like it has happened with Wood. He has been late on a lot of fastballs up in the zone and is chasing breaking balls down way more often than he usually does.
In his last six games, he has struck out at least 3 times in four of them. It is really painful to watch a hitter this good struggle this much. I thought he would flip the switch after the break, but he still was swinging at air last night.
With Darnell Coles somehow still employed, I worry about how long it could take James to make an adjustment. In Coles’ time as a hitting coach, it feels like it can take weeks if not months for guys to make even a simple adjustment. You can see it when guys like CJ Abrams go weeks on end without changing a thing.
However, Wood is such a talented hitter that it is only a matter of time before he figures it out. Hopefully it can be soon because the offense is rudderless when their star is not hitting. James Wood has carried this offense so much this year that it is really noticeable when he is not hitting well.
With his name circled by every opponent, it must be hard for him. Wood does not have much protection in the lineup at all. The only other great hitter in the lineup is CJ Abrams who is ahead of him. With guys like Nathaniel Lowe and Luis Garcia Jr. not doing much behind him, pitchers can really key in on Wood.
It is a lot of pressure for a 22 year old to deal with. He has to be on his game every single night. With everything collapsing around him, the weight of the world is on James Wood’s shoulders. For the first time in his career, it feels like he is having a problem carrying that weight.
This will be a temporary slump, but it is still a real bummer to watch Wood in this state. With a new coaching staff, hopefully these slumps can be shortened in years to come. However, he can’t seem to make any contact right now. Hopefully a barrage of home runs is right around the corner.