Yes, Wood should be able to hit in the majors, and so should Crews. In fact, Crews is the electric sort of player that the Nats need right now.
What does this have to do with Young, and whether Young is a real major leaguer? That was the topic of this thread. It began in the turmoil of questions about Victor Robles, who had been the Nats starting CF for years, and whether Young might replace him. It seems that everyone agrees, now, that Young is good enough. Great fielder, great base-runner, and someone who hits enough to be useful even though he is not a slugger.
The discussion has shifted. Notice that people now have begun to imagine if the Nats could gain a power-hitting CF who, as JCA suggests, might field CF about 85% as well as Young. Slateman wonders if stolen bases are over-rated this season and if steals will have little value in the future.
Neither JCA nor Slate explain how the Nats can trade Young for a hard-hitting CF.
I keep saying that Jacob Young reminds me of Del Unser, although teams, especially in the AL, prized power. Remember that the Nats got Unser for Don Lock, a fine CF who had hit 25 homers for a couple of consecutive seasons. But Lock had fallen away to hitting in the .230s with only 13 home runs, so the team traded him for Darrold Knowles. And Unser, himself, was traded as part of a package for another package; I don't remember any other players in either package, and it is likely that no one else does.
A trade of Young will not return a big hitter. Let's be happy with what the Nats have. Find a 1B who can hit. Figure out if Senzel can handle 3B until House is ready. Promote Wood.
