Fish Stripes projects prep outfielder James Wood as a possible first-round draft selection of the Marlins in the upcoming amateur draft. Let’s take a closer look at this highly regarded prospect...
Overview
Position: OF
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 230 pounds
School: IMG Academy
Commitment: Mississippi State
James Wood is a 2021 OF from Olney, Maryland and plays his high school ball at the IMG Academy in Florida. Wood is one of the top and most exciting prospect to monitor entering the MLB Draft. He played summer ball with the Dirtbags Skrap Pak and also played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic last summer. James Wood made his verbal commitment to Mississippi State University in the fall of his junior season.
At 6’6”, 230 pounds, Wood is a very tall, athletic prospect with lots of room to grow into his frame. The first thing that jumps out at you with Wood is his raw power—his exit velocity ranks in the 95th percentile amongst other prospects in his class.
Wood is also a very good athlete and mostly plays center field in high school. However, whichever teams drafts Wood, will want him to fill in his extra-large frame. He would potentially add 20-25 pounds of solid muscle and not lose any of his athletic ability.
Strengths
- Incredible size
- Very projectable
- Lots of power potential
- Great athlete
- Hits with power to all fields
- Middle of the order type hitter
- 6.70 60 yard dash
- 30-30 potential
- Tracks ball well in outfield
Weaknesses
- Still learning the game of baseball
- Will most likely move to LF or RF long term
- Struggles to repeat mechanics at the plate
- Doesn’t use lower half when throwing from outfield
- Lots of swing-and-miss against tough competition
Pro Comparison: Aaron Judge
Projection: Top 20 draft pick
Bottom Line
The Miami Marlins went all pitchers in the 2020 MLB Draft and as of this writing, they’ve had good fortune keeping nearly every arm in the organization healthy. So if it’s a close call between several prospects at overall pick No. 16, they’ll probably prefer to take the top available hitter. IMG Academy outfielder James Wood could realistically still be on the board for them.
Wood has the tools and size to make a major impact at the MLB level. He’s also a great athlete that used to play basketball before committing to baseball full time. There aren’t many prospects in this draft class with the ceiling that Wood possesses. The Marlins would be getting a very projectable player with tremendous upside and a great value in the middle of the first round.
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March 31, 2021 at 07:00PM
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2021 MLB Draft Profile: James Wood - Fish Stripes
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