Nationals’ James Wood ties Bryce Harper, Juan Soto for 1st place in historic home run record

The two most-hyped hitting prospects in the history of the Washington Nationals were Bryce Harper and Juan Soto.

At least by the numbers, James Wood should be considered right there with those two franchise legends.

On Monday night, the 6-foot-7 Wood ripped a home run off the right field foul pole in San Diego. It was his 22nd homer of the season.

More significant than that is this: It was Wood's 31st career homer. And that's the same number that both Harper and Soto hit in their first 162 games.

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Wood, who has played 158 games so far, is now tied with Harper and Soto for the record for most home runs hit in 162 games to start a career in Expos/Nationals history, per MLB.com.

Wood isn't just a home run hitter, either. This season, he's batting .284 and has a .948 OPS.

His season also includes 19 doubles and 46 singles, to go along with 46 walks. He has nine steals, too.

Harper and Soto have at varying times been viewed as one of the best couple hitters on the planet. That's truly the territory Wood is trending toward.

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The big slugger is only 22 years old. This is just tapping the surface of his peak. There's still so much more room to grow.

And if he hits a home run in any of his next four games, Wood will break this record shared by Harper and Soto. And that'd just be the beginning of a potentially historic career.

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