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Nationals Phenom James Wood Joins 2025 Home Run Derby in Atlanta

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Updated Jul 4, 2025, 03:08 AM

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood said he will compete in Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby on 14 July at Truist Park in Atlanta, becoming the third confirmed participant after Mariners catcher and major-league homer leader Cal Raleigh and Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. Wood, 22, is the third player in Nationals history to enter the contest, following Juan Soto (2022) and Bryce Harper (2013, 2018).

Wood has hit 22 home runs in his first full big-league season, including 12 with exit velocities of at least 110 mph—second only to Shohei Ohtani—and four measured at 445 feet or longer. He announced his Derby plans hours before going 5-for-5 with a homer in Washington’s win on 3 July, underscoring the power that made him a leading National League Rookie of the Year and MVP candidate.

The outfielder’s surge began on 19 June, when his 427-foot blast in the 11th inning lifted Washington to a 4–3 victory over Colorado and snapped an 11-game losing streak. While the Nationals remain mired near the bottom of the league in run production, Wood’s emergence offers a rare bright spot for a rebuilding club that will also pick first in the upcoming draft.

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