We need James Wood in the Home Run Derby

The Washington Nationals slugger would put on an absolute show at the Home Run Derby

Growing up, the Home Run Derby was one of my favorite events. I remember watching Josh Hamilton put on a show at the old Yankees Stadium as a child. It was a totally mesmerizing experience. I had never seen anything like and it made me want to go to the batting cages so badly. The Washington Nationals have a young slugger that could excite people the same way Josh Hamilton did all those years ago, his name is James Wood.

Us Nationals fans are used to the jaw dropping homers Wood hits on a regular basis. One of my favorite moments of the season was when Wood hit an insane line drive home run in Miami that left the Marlins announcers totally stunned. That was the moment when I realized James Wood was a superstar.

When you are a superstar, especially one with unreal power, the Home Run Derby is an amazing platform. Just in recent years the Derby has really helped popularize guys Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero. Of course, they were already well known before then, but those performances put them on the map.

I think the Derby can do the same thing for James Wood. Baseball people know Wood, but for a guy putting up the numbers he is putting up, he is flying a bit under the radar. Outside of the DC area, he does not feel like a household name.

For example, it feels like Pete Crow-Armstrong gets talked about quite a bit more nationally. Being on a winning team and having an eccentric personality helps him, but I feel like Wood deserves more attention.

It feels like every time he homers, he is getting closer and closer to gaining that recognition he deserves. On the surface it might seem like a goofy thing, but I think that new Papa John’s campaign he is meaningful. It is a sign that he is a real star, and the Nationals have not had one of those since Juan Soto left.

Having a star like Wood makes it easier to make a pitch to bigger name free agents if the Lerner’s ever decide to spend. Money talks, but players will always prefer to play where they think they have a chance to win. With Wood showing his star quality, that could entice potential free agents.

The Home Run Derby is the perfect platform to do this. A naturally soft spoken guy, James Wood prefers to let his bat do the talking. Putting on a show at the Home Run Derby would be a big statement.

I would also love to see it. The sound when the ball comes off his bat is just different. The Nats have had a lot of sluggers over the years, I am not sure if any of them have produced the types of sounds that Wood has. He might have more raw power than any of the stars that have come before him in DC.

It is just ridiculous stuff, and it would captivate a national audience. The Home Run Derby would introduce the rest of the baseball world to James Wood, the next great Washington Nationals superstar.