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One thing I have noticed this spring is that James Wood has been playing a lot of right field. Two of his three games this spring have been in right field. This is notable because Wood exclusively played left field last season. It is telling that the Nats new regime at least wants to get a look at Wood in right field.
Mark Zuckerman was on this right away, and pointed it out when he was playing there in his first game of the spring. He also talked about this in depth on the Nats Chat podcast with Al Galdi. They talked about why this may be happening, as well as what Wood’s eventual defensive home could be.
I think this is notable because it could shake up the outfield dynamic. Right now the Nats have four outfielders for three spots with Wood, Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young. Lile played both corner spots last year, while Crews played center field and right field. Young is only a center fielder, though I am sure he could play the other spots if you wanted. However, putting Young in a corner is a waste.
If Wood is in right field, that would likely shift Lile to left field, which I would like. Lile is a better fit for left field in my opinion. A few years ago, Lile underwent Tommy John Surgery and since coming back his arm strength has been fringy. He posted a -2 arm value last year.
While Lile’s all around defense was an issue, the arm is something that is tougher to fix. Lile made defense a focus this offseason, and came into camp with a point to prove on that side of the ball. He has elite athleticism, but his weak arm and poor reads made him a problem in the outfield. The reads should get better over time, but it is tough to project arm strength. That makes left field the most natural home for him.
If Wood is in right and Lile is in left, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young will be battling for the center field role. There will be times where both play because either Wood or Lile will be DH’ing. However, the Nats are going to want Wood and Lile to get as many reps as possible in the outfield. That would mean either Young or Crews could be on the outside looking in.
Crews has gotten off to a shaky start this spring and Young has not played yet due to a minor injury. In an ideal world, you would want Crews to live up to his pedigree and grab that job from Young. Crews has a much higher ceiling, but Young’s elite defense gives him a solid floor. My plan would be for the two to share time in center field, while Crews occasionally plays right field when either Lile or Wood is at DH.
Even with these four, the outfield is crowded, but there are other candidates to make the roster too. Joey Wiemer, Christian Franklin and Robert Hassell III are all on the 40-man roster right now, but appear to be on the outside looking in. The Nats could carry five outfielders, but even if they do, the fifth guy will not get much playing time.
There are a lot of mouths to feed in the outfield and moving Wood to right field creates another wrinkle. Heading into the season, I figured the plan would be to have Wood in left, Crews in center and Lile in right. My other option would be to have Lile and Wood rotate between left and DH while Jacob Young plays center and Dylan Crews plays right.
This creates a new dynamic, and I do not think that is a bad thing. Wood did not seem like a natural fit in left field. He also has a far better arm than Daylen Lile, which is good for the right field spot. Wood may not have an 80 grade cannon like some right fielders, but it is an above average arm. There were a few times last year where he made really nice throws for outfield assists.
Players swapping corner outfield spots is honestly pretty common. It seems like Juan Soto goes from right field to left field every other year. Jayson Werth was another player who played both right and left field pretty frequently. Usually right field is the more demanding position, but it really depends on the ballpark.
If Wood is more comfortable in right field, they should play him there. He did not look natural in left field. However, it is important to remember that Wood mostly played center field in the minors. He did not get exposed to the corners much until Triple-A, and when he did, he mostly played right field.
The outfield alignment is going to be something Blake Butera will have to juggle throughout the season. Having a DH spot makes things a bit easier, but you also do not want to make Lile or Wood a full time DH at such a young age. Hopefully three outfielders emerge and force their way onto the lineup card.