'It was just a lot of fun': Md. native Wood revels in Beltways debut

BALTIMORE -- James Wood had to help his teammates out on Tuesday night, but not in the same way he did by contributing a career-high-tying four hits in the win over the Orioles.

There were heaping piles of crabs on a table outside of the visitors clubhouse for a regional postgame meal, and the Rockville, Md., native knew exactly what to do.

“I feel like I did a pretty good job,” Wood said. “There were some people who had never done it before. [Mitchell Parker] is from New Mexico, so I know he’s never even been within 200 miles of crabs.”

Wood invited Parker and Jacob Young to join him. Noticing Parker’s novice approach, Wood offered some proven strategies. They worked -- Parker successfully maneuvered one and a half crabs.

“If he wouldn’t have shown me, I never would have figured it out,” Parker said on Wednesday before the Nats’ 4-1 loss to the Orioles. “I would have probably not been there for as long as I was.”

It was a meal Wood has had countless times inside the ballpark he attended as a kid -- only now, he is a Major Leaguer. Wood, who debuted on July 1, played in his first Beltways Series against the Orioles on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“It was definitely cool coming to Baltimore,” Wood, 21, said. “This is, a lot of times, where I would watch games growing up.”

Wood went 4-for-5 with one double, three runs scored and one RBI on Tuesday. He became the seventh rookie in Nats team history (2005-present) and first since Joey Meneses (‘22) to record multiple four-hit performances.

Wood was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the series finale on Wednesday.

“To see him come back and do what he did yesterday was definitely impressive,” said manager Dave Martinez. “It’s always exciting, especially when people know him and have seen him grow up. A lot of them were at the game, and I heard some big cheers every time he got a hit yesterday. That’s got to feel gratifying for him and for the fans to watch a kid they watched grow up here get to play in the Major Leagues.”

The Nationals and Orioles’ youth movements are magnified when they face each other, and Wood is a focal point of that development. He was ranked as Washington’s top prospect (No. 2 overall in MLB) until he graduated from that status on Sunday.

In his last 15 games, Wood is slashing .340/.444/.566 with two home runs, 11 RBIs and four stolen bases. He has belted 29 batted balls at an exit velocity of 105 mph or greater since his debut, including two on Tuesday.

“That's an exciting young player,” said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. “... The athleticism, the power, the length -- really, really tall, lanky, strong -- he's going to be a really good player in this league.”

This was the first series in which Wood and Orioles No. 1 prospect (MLB No. 1 overall) Jackson Holliday faced off on the Major League level.

"Everything is really impressive,” Holliday said ahead of the matchup. “Speed, power, good hit tool, can really run. It's just fun to watch.”

While Wood represents the future of the Nationals, playing in Baltimore is a reminder of the childhood dream that led him to the Majors.

Wood’s mother, Paula, commemorated the Oriole Park at Camden Yards debut with a photo of a young Wood and his grandfather at an Orioles game.

She captioned it, “How it started and how it’s going (I grew up in Randallstown. Of course my dad took him to O’s games!)”

“It was just a lot of fun out there,” said Wood. “I was just enjoying it.”