James Wood

Wood is sort of like the opposite of Jose Ramirez in that he's not particularly interested in pulling flyballs; Wood posted just an 11.3 Pull Air% last season, per Statcast, compared to 30.9% for Ramirez. At 22 years old, Wood showed that he can make it work his way, punishing baseballs up the middle and to the opposite field. Incredibly, 26 of his 31 home runs for the Nationals last season were to the middle or opposite field, according to Baseball Reference. Similarly, Wood is at the opposite end of the contact spectrum from Ramirez, striking out at a 32.1% clip last season compared to 11.0% for Ramirez. It's unfair to compare any young player to a future Hall of Famer, but if Ramirez is the model of stability, Wood should be viewed as a volatile asset with downside risk, especially after he slumped to a .223/.301/.388 line in the second half. While the holes in the profile are glaring, an argument can be made that there is just as much upside as downside considering what the outfielder has already done at such a young age. The steals boost Wood's appeal, though he has not been efficient on the basepaths in his two MLB seasons (29-for-44). Read Past Outlooks