Blog

Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, maybe even Mitchell Parker against the strongest team in baseball at Dodger Stadium earlier this year. Arguably the most memorable debuts in Washington Nationals history all had something memorable happening during them. Could James Wood be the next Washington National to have a memorable debut that goes down in history?

Strasburg’s debut in 2010 was the most highly anticipated in league history, and he more than lived up to the hype, striking out 14 Pirates in 7 innings in front of an absolutely electrified Nationals home crowd.

In 2012, Harper made his debut in the socks and mohawk on the road against the Dodgers and obliged, hitting a double to center field in his third at-bat of the night, ripping his helmet off his head as he charged to second base to a chorus of boos from the Dodger faithful.

In 2018, Soto hit a 3-run shot to left center at Nationals Park on the first pitch he ever saw at the MLB level, earning a standing ovation from Nats fans.

In 2024, Parker shut out the Dodgers in 5 innings against arguably the strongest lineup in MLB history earlier this season, becoming the first Nats pitcher to win his debut since Strasburg in 2010.

And now that James Wood is making another highly anticipated debut on Monday at Nationals Park against the New York Mets, the question is no longer when Wood will make it to the major leagues, but what we can expect from him in his debut.

First of all, this debut is historic as the Nationals begin a whole new chapter. On Monday night, MacKenzie Gore will be on the mound, CJ Abrams will play shortstop and James Wood will guard the outfield. Those are three of the players the Nats got in the Juan Soto trade, with Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana both showing steady improvement in the minor leagues.

Wood is the best prospect in the Nats system and the best prospect in the entire league, and his debut comes as the new era of baseball continues in the nation’s capital. With all the success of young pitchers, the breakthrough of CJ Abrams, and other top prospects like Dylan Crews and Brady House doing well in the upper echelons of the minor leagues, now is the time for Nats fans to be excited about the present and future of this team.

It looks like David Peterson will start for the Mets on Monday night. According to Statmuse, he has a career record of 4-1 against the Nationals with a 3.53 ERA in 43.1 innings pitched. The Mets have used their sweep of the Nats in early June as a springboard for their recent success, going 15-4 since the start of the series against Washington. They have been a topic of conversation on social media lately, led by a purple McDonald’s mascot named Grimace.

I would expect Wood to start in the LF in his debut on Monday, hopefully in front of a sold-out crowd at Nationals Park. This should be one of the most electric atmospheres at Nationals Park this season, and if you’re in the area, I would recommend you go. If Wood is as good as we expect him to be, this will be a true “Where Were You?” moment in franchise history.

The team obviously wanted to announce the news today to give fans in the area plenty of time to get tickets and get ready for Monday. Quite an interesting move, as the team now knows that someone currently in the locker room won’t be there Monday morning. My prediction is the same as Mark Zuckerman’s with Eddie Rosario, but with this team, sometimes you never really know.

One thing I do know, though: Monday night will be special. It’ll be a night we fans will remember fondly for years to come (no pressure, James Wood). I’m going to venture my predictions for the DMV native’s debut and say Wood will enter the lineup at fourth, get his first major league hit and stolen base in the Nationals’ 5-2 victory, and MacKenzie Gore will lead off a comeback start with 6 solid innings. Oh, and he’ll also hit his MLB home run, igniting an electrifying ballpark and sending the home fans into a frenzy. Book it.

How do you think James Wood will fare in his MLB debut on Monday? Do you think his presence in the lineup will boost the Nats’ flagging offense to support MacKenzie Gore? What are you most looking forward to? As always, let me know your thoughts on X. @DCBerk.

All statistics in this article were provided by MLB.com, MiLB.com and StatMuse.