For the first time since 2021, an All-MLB Team selection belongs to the Nationals.
Outfielder James Wood was named to the 2026 All-MLB Second Team, presented by MGM Rewards, during Wednesday night's fourth annual MLB Awards show in Las Vegas, earning recognition as one of the six best outfielders in baseball.
The 24-year-old joined Randy Arozarena from the Mariners and Jordan Walker from the Cardinals among the Second-Team outfielders. Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres) and Jackson Chourio (Brewers) earned First-Team honors.
Wood was Washington's lone All-MLB selection this year.
Unlike All-Star selections, which are based on first-half performances, the All-MLB Team recognizes players for their contributions throughout the regular season. The All-MLB Team was introduced in 2019.
Fans voted on MLB.com alongside a panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other baseball officials to select the First and Second Teams, with each group accounting for 50 percent of the vote.
Voters selected one player at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, designated hitter and outfield (three, without regard for left/center/right) along with five starting pitchers and two relievers for each team.
For Wood, the selection follows a season in which he earned his second consecutive All-Star nod and ranked among the National League’s top offensive performers, despite appearing in just 135 games.
In his third Major League season, Wood slashed .265/.388/.503 with 30 homers, 30 doubles, 77 RBIs, 21 steals and an .891 OPS.
His .388 on-base percentage led all outfielders, and he ranked second at his position in home runs, behind only Crow-Armstrong’s 45. He also ranked second in walks (102), slugging percentage and OPS.
Wood was the first player in MLB history to record at least 30 home runs, 20 stolen bases and 100 walks in fewer than 140 games. Wood also established a single-season franchise record with 10 leadoff home runs.
After hitting 31 homers in 2025, he followed with another 30 in ‘26, becoming just the second Nationals player to record consecutive 30-homer seasons since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005. Adam Dunn was the first to accomplish the feat in 2009-10.
Wood's ability to consistently make hard contact was another part of his offensive success. According to Statcast, he led the Majors with a 95.4 mph average exit velocity and a 58.9 percent hard-hit rate.
Much of that production came before the All-Star break, when Wood hit 28 home runs, with a .984 OPS and a .575 slugging percentage across 97 games.
But his season was interrupted when a left oblique strain sidelined him for 27 games from Aug. 4-Sept. 1.
Despite missing nearly a month, Wood finished with more runs and walks than in 2025, when he appeared in 157 games. His on-base percentage improved from .350 to .388, his slugging percentage increased from .475 to .503 and his OPS climbed from .825 to .891.