By Donald Laible
The arrival of James Wood as a bona fide major leaguer so quickly in his career shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The San Diego Padres knew Wood was a special prospect. Heck, they selected him in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Then, after breaking spring training in Florida, followed by being shipped to three different rookie and Single-A minor league ball clubs, the Padres pulled the trigger on obtaining Juan Soto from the Nationals. In exchange for the all-star outfielder leaving Washington, D.C., the Nationals’ haul included Wood, among a half dozen players, on Aug. 2, 2022.
All 6 feet 7 inches of Wood’s deceptively powerful 235 pound slugger’s frame is rapidly developing into one of the most talked of hitters among opposing pitching staff. In his 143 MLB games, Wood’s hitting numbers continue to tick up noticeably. The hits collected, RBIs registered, home runs belted, they are all rising as fast as Wood’s stock in Nationals’ manager Dave Martinez’s lineup.
Perhaps what is contributing to Wood’s maturation in Washington is a direct result of the training received at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Situated on hundreds of acres in Southwest Florida, IMG Academy offers sports training and academics few could boast. More than 1,000 students attending the prep school are known to transform into Division-I college athletes, and in baseball, top draft picks of MLB clubs. Transferring from a high school in Washington, D.C., not far from where he grew up in Maryland, and deciding to move south to Bradenton and hopefully bring his hitting and fielding skills to the next level, IMG’s coaching propelled his game to where MLB scouts noticed.
John-Ford Griffin, a former top draft pick of the New York Yankees in 2001 who played briefly with the Toronto Blue Jays, is the hitting coordinator at IMG Academy. When Wood arrives for his junior year on the IMG Campus, Ford Griffin remembers being immediately smitten by the talent and can-do attitude displayed by the newcomer. During a recent phone call with The Epoch Times in Florida, the hitting coach praised his prized student.
“The first day of workouts, before practice, (Woods) comes with a group of players—already dressed. Immediately, I knew James would be fun to work with. When I first saw him in the cage, I knew we had a diamond in the rough,” Ford Griffin said.
Building a relationship with his new student, polishing that raw ability was enjoyable for Ford Griffin and the IMG Academy baseball staff.
“With James, you never knew if he was having a good day or a bad day. He’s so soft spoken, and James meshed well with the other players and staff behind the scenes,” he recalls.
If his production in the batter’s box maintains the status quo, it would be shocking to most around the game if Wood, 22, isn’t selected to the National League squad for the MLB All-Star Classic next month in Atlanta.
As pleasant with reporters and fans as frightening to those throwing at him from 60 feet six inches, Wood appears to be taking his new found fame and leadership role with the Nationals in stride. To think, less than one year ago, the outfielder was the scourge of pitchers throughout the Triple-A International League. While scoring runs (44 in 52 games), collecting 67 hits, 16 doubles, and ringing up a .353 batting average, there was little doubt with the folks at IMG Academy baseball and with the Nationals’ developmental leaders that it was time to elevate Wood to “The Show.”
“That was the most remarkable day for me,” Ford Griffin explains of him and IMG Baseball Director Dan Simonds’ attending Wood’s MLB debut on July 1, 2024 at Nationals Park. “I felt like a five-year-old watching him play. It was such an emotional day. I remember every minute of that day.”
Wood didn’t disappoint his “cheering section,” as he clubbed a hit on his first MLB at-bat in a game against the New York Mets.
With the IMG Academy baseball staff observing Wood arriving in their care as a 16-year old, and growing to tow a “heavy bat” in MLB cities is the ultimate compliment they could receive. After Wood’s debut, he returned to the field and had an emotional reunion with familiar faces.
“My director and I just told James how proud we were of him,” states a giddy Ford Griffin.
Now, teaching the finer points of hitting a baseball at IMG Academy for 10 years, the success of pupils like Wood is what keeps John-Ford Griffin excited to go to work each day. Quality individuals, positive results from meticulous deep-dives done on each hitting plan designed, Wood is another example produced at IMG Academy where hard work pays off.
