For outfielder James Wood of the Washington Nationals, playing organized sports is embedded in his family’s DNA.
Born in Rockville, Maryland, the 23-year-old Olney, Maryland native grew up playing baseball and basketball from a young age, following in the footsteps of his father, Kenny Wood, who played forward for the Richmond Spiders Men's Basketball Team at the University of Richmond.
His dad, later inducted into the school’s hall of fame, went on to play professional basketball in the U.S. and Europe. Meanwhile, Wood’s mother, Paula, Wood's two older sisters, Kayla and Sydney, and a large extended family were always nearby as enthusiastic cheerleaders for him.
By fourth grade, Wood realized he had to choose which sport to pursue more seriously. He chose baseball. But he continued to play basketball through his junior year in high school, in keeping with his father’s advice not to specialize in one sport over the others too early in their development.
“Growing up, I liked hitting the ball hard and far,” Wood said. “Baseball teaches you how to deal with failure, how to stay present, and how to work through all the ups and downs that come with it. It teaches you a lot about life.”
During his junior year of high school at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Wood has fond memories of playing with the summer travel baseball team. He remains in touch with many of his Olney Pirates teammates, whom he played with from ages 7 - 14.
Even years later, he remains close with many of those teammates, including Josh Moylan, now with the New York Yankees, and Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres. His proud former coaches also continue to come out to the park to watch him play.
Despite how far he has come in his professional journey, Wood says conversations with his old travel-team friends rarely revolve around their baseball dreams. “I just hope to them that I’m the same kid, the same person I was when we were playing ball together growing up,” he said.
Knowing the slim odds of reaching the majors, roughly one in 1,000 high school players, made Wood’s MLB debut in 2024 even sweeter for him and his family.
“Finding out was pretty surreal,” Wood said. “The first thing I did was call my parents.”
Soon after, the whole family joined a FaceTime group to celebrate. “Since everyone is local, it didn’t take a whole lot of logistics to get everybody to D.C.,” he said. “I loved having everyone there.”
During spring training with the Nationals in West Palm Beach, Florida, as he prepared for the 2026 season, Wood said interactions with young fans are among the most rewarding parts of the job.
“One of my [former] teammates, pitcher Derek Law, showed me a video of one of his sons picking up a bat, turning his front foot, and imitating my swing,” Wood said. “Other parents show me videos like that, too. Those are ‘pinch-me’ moments.”
Baseball has long been a family affair. Wood remembers going to Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles games on his birthday with his grandparents and relatives, while sharing his father’s love of the New York Yankees during their 2009 championship run.
“I remember watching those guys when I was a kid and never thinking about how ridiculously low the odds are,” Wood said. “I don’t know that this dream really occurred to me back then.”
Growing up, Wood and his sisters were constantly on the move with practices and games, so family time was precious, and still is.
His middle sister, Sydney, was a Big Ten Champion basketball player at Northwestern University and is now an assistant coach with the Austin Spurs, while his oldest sister, Kayla, now an environmental scientist, played basketball in high school, winning a conference championship with Holy Child, and then managed women's basketball at Notre Dame.
When he’s home, Wood enjoys backyard barbecues, home-cooked meals (including his mom’s lasagna and crème brûlée French toast, his dad’s steaks, and breakfast burritos), or grabbing a breakfast sandwich or burger at the family-friendly Sunshine Store in Brookeville, near Olney.
Kenny Wood says there was never a rigid formula for raising three athletic kids. “I never told my son, ‘You’ve got to do this to become a major league player,’” he said. “It was always about the process and the drills to become a better player. I remember the camaraderie I had with my teammates, so it was also about focusing on the relationships you make as part of a team.”
For his mother, Paula, watching games at Nationals Park can feel like an emotional roller coaster.
“There are a lot of highs and lows,” Paula Wood said. “During different parts of the game, I get more nervous. But it’s definitely surreal walking into the stadium and seeing fans wearing my son’s jersey. We are always fiercely proud!”
She added that the family never takes the experience for granted. “We appreciate being able to hop on the Metro or drive over to the stadium and watch him play.”
For Wood, seeing fans wearing his No. 29 Nationals jersey still takes some getting used to.
“It’s definitely a little bit of a shock at first, but it’s becoming more familiar now,” he said. “I’m always super appreciative of people who show up every day, come to the field, and support us. The love from the fans is the best.”