James Wood Is Poised For A BREAKOUT Campaign For The Washington Nationals

James Wood poised for a breakout with the Washington Nationals—could he be the team’s next MVP-caliber star? Ryan Clary examines Wood’s monster 2025 campaign, his improved defense, and draws parallels to Juan Soto’s all-fields power threat. With Nationals fans eager for a new hero, the spotlight turns to Wood’s leadership qualities and the potential for a 40+ home run season. Uncertainty looms at first base as Ryan Clary debates the cases for Abi Ortiz, Andrés Chaparro, and Luis García Jr., questioning if any can seize the Opening Day role. Key topics include position battles, defensive pairings with CJ Abrams and Nasim Nuñez, and how front office decisions—or lack thereof—signal the team’s rebuilding strategy. Plus, hot takes on Tarik Skubal’s early World Baseball Classic exit and the influence of agent Scott Boras ignite discussion about star power and the broader MLB landscape. 00:00 "James Wood Is Ready For Another Step" 05:49 James Wood's Power Potential 07:43 Home Run Derby Impact 15:58 Garcia’s Role in Defensive Shift 18:45 Nationals' Uncertainty at First Base 25:33 Skubal's WBC Exit Explained Follow Ryan Clary on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ryanclary11 Follow Locked On Nationals on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LO_Nationals   Everydayer Club Link: https://lockedonnationals.supercast.com/   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PlayStation This episode of is brought to you by MLB The Show 26. Visit https://mlbthe.show/lockedon and use code “LOCKEDON” to unlock a pack for use in Diamond Dynasty. Pre-Order now, Available March 17th on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. RATED E FOR EVERYONE. Turbo Tax For a limited time, you can have your taxes done by a local TurboTax expert for just $150 — all in, if a TurboTax expert didn’t file for you last year. Just file by February 28. Take taxes off your plate and get back to your life. Visit https://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel FanDuel is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a College Basketball Parlay Profit Boost. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.