After a slow start to his second season in the big leagues, James Wood has come on for the Nationals and continues to impress, as he has 10 hits in his last eight games with a 1.078 OPS in that span.
"He's in a pretty good place right now," Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said during his weekly appearance on Wednesday with 106.7 The Fan's The Sports Junkies, which is presented exclusively by our partners at MainStreet Bank — Cheer Local. Bank Local. Put Our Team in Your Office. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
The GM added that after Wood's somewhat inconsistent start to the year, the young outfielder worked with hitting coach Darnell Coles to get him into a groove. "He feels confident, and he's gonna be – if he's not already – one of the most dynamic players in the league."
Something that blew The Junks' Eric Bickel away after sitting close to the diamond recently was the composure of the 22-year-old.
"He's a cool customer," Rizzo said of Wood. "He's not overly-hyped by a lot of situations, that's his persona and his personality. You look back at some of those low heartbeat guys... [Ryan Zimmerman], Anthony Rendon had that type of capability. And Wood is right there on that list.
"For such a low-key guy, he lets his bat do a lot of the talking because he doesn't say a word."
And you can see the formations of the plan coming together on how this young core group of Nationals hitters is convalescing into a potent lineup with Wood, CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr., and Dylan Crews.
"When you look at the emergence since CJ came back, and you've got Wood and Crews and Luis start to heat up a little bit offensively. It's a fun, young offense to watch," Rizzo said. "And day in, day out, with offense comes ebbs and flows. And I think these guys are getting more consistent, they're getting more into their routines.
"I think that you can see the fruits of their labor of all the hard work that they've put in with our hitting people and just starting to carve out a little niche for themselves in the game."
Abrams, who had four hits in Tuesday's game, is an "important cog to the lineup" and "makes us go," Rizzo said. "Gives us a burst of energy every time he plays and he's an important part of this ballclub."
On Tuesday's tough loss
The Nationals loaded the bases with nobody out in the top half of the eighth inning in Philadelphia, but failed to put the ball in play with three-straight strikeouts. To make matters worse, the Phillies tacked on two runs in the home half of the frame for a 5-2 lead.
"Squandered opportunities, you always want to tack on a run or two in that situation," Rizzo said, "but [Jose Alvarado] is a strikeout guy. When he harnesses it, he's as tough to hit as anybody, so you tip your cap to him."
The Nationals responded with four in the ninth to grab the lead with a Wood RBI double and Nathaniel Lowe three-run shot. But two runs from Philly meant the game ended in disappointment.
"Big fly by Nathaniel puts us on top and you're feeling pretty good about your situation. I love seeing [Kyle Finnegan] on the mound in the ninth inning because that means we have a chance to win that game and I felt the same last night," he said. "We just didn't get it done and that's part of the world of closers and you see it not only with Finny, but a lot of closers in baseball.
"It's a tough job, that 27th out is a different out, we've always said that and my thought and hope is that he's pitching in the ninth inning again because that means we're winning and have a chance to win."
Rizzo added the blowing a game like that makes for a "restless night of sleep," but you rinse off and get ready for the next day.
"Nobody enjoys being walked off, especially in Philadelphia," he said.
Dylan Crews
After a terrible start to the year – just five hits in his first 13 games for a.106 average – Crews has played much better his last 14 games with 17 base hits for a .321 average and a .949 OPS.
"We try to keep him on the straight and narrow. When you're new to the league and you're struggling, it's all about keeping your confidence level up, and he's never had a problem with confidence," Rizzo said. "He takes a bit to adjust to each level that he's been a,t and this was no different. The stress level and the ability level of the pitchers he's faced has increased. But I think his mindset and approach is the same.
"He just needs to relax. I know they made a few small tweaks with his set up at the plate and I think you're seeing some good results from the group getting together with Dylan and making a few adjustments mentally and mechanically and letting him go out there and show the ability he has."
The GM said it is "just a matter of time before he really figures it out and gets consistent with his approach and starts taking off."
Daylen Lile scouting report
Daylen Lile, the ninth-rated prospect in Washington's system, per MLB Pipeline, has gotten off to a fine start at Double-A Harrisburg, with 29 hits in his first 21 games, including five doubles, three triples, and two homers. The 21-year-old batted .319 with a .846 OPS so far there and earned a promotion to Triple-A.
"You saw a glimpse of him in spring training, a really good left-handed hitting outfielder," Rizzo said about the newly promoted man. "He's on his way. He's a guy who sidetracked early in his minor league career with us, the year we drafted him he had Tommy John surgery. So he got set back almost a full season of regression in his development.
"But he's coming on like gangbusters. He's a tough kid that swings the bat. He's got some tools, he runs and plays the outfield and we think the powers gonna come."
Rizzo said Lile is "certainly on their radar" and joins a "good group of young up-side type of outfielders" in Rochester.
Cade Cavalli update
The right-hander had another rehab start, but "felt fatigued" and was shut down out of an abundance of caution, Rizzo said. But reported Cavalli was touching 98 mph and had good stuff.