close
close

A 17-Year-Old Caught James Wood’s First HR; The Whole Story Behind It!

Posted on by angelo
A 17-Year-Old Caught James Wood’s First HR; The Whole Story Behind It!

Photo by Cason for TalkNats

When Cason and his friend Jackson bought tickets in Section 104 of Nationals Park on Saturday, they didn’t think their lives would change when Cason, 17, caught James Wood’s first home run. Before they knew it, a member of the Washington Nationals security team approached them and led them to the top of the concourse section where they were greeted by Greg Monahan, the team’s director of public safety.

This all happened very quickly and Monahan asked Cason what he wanted for the ball and he replied an autographed Wood jersey, a bat, a ball and some tickets. Monahan gave Cason his phone number and told him to call him after the game, and Monahan took the ball as instructed by Cason without signing an agreement or even asking his age.

It all happened so fast. Cason’s first thought was to tell Wood he had to get the baseball back. Cason had just finished his freshman year at Loudoun County High School. He’s not a professional negotiator. He’s a student. A teenager barely old enough to drive a car. People told him he should ask for season tickets and a bunch of memorabilia. They spent the rest of the game wondering what would happen after the game.

What happened after the game didn’t lead to any negotiations for the baseball. They called Monahan and were told to go to Section 119 and walk to the field. They went to the field and took some pictures and then went to a private room next to the clubhouse. There was no negotiation for Cason’s ball. He was given a signed bat and ball and posed for pictures. While the experience was surreal, the teenager didn’t get what he asked for when he handed the ball to Monahan.

Cason sat back down in his seat with Jackson in section 104 to watch the rest of the game. They were already googling HR Ball Hawk, Zack Hamplewho participated in controversial negotiations during important baseballs. They were discussing with friends what they should get in exchange for the ball. One would have thought that Hample would have received much more than an autographed ball and a bat.

The bat Cason received appears to be a bat used by Wood from his minor league days. It would obviously be worth hundreds of dollars, maybe a thousand or two, depending on the history of the bat. But he has no idea where the bat came from, because no one has told him.

Did the Nationals trader take advantage of a 17-year-old minor? They took his baseball away, and what the teenager ended up getting wasn’t what he asked for. You’d think the team would go above and beyond what he asked for. Monahan didn’t even ask his age or make him sign anything. When Monahan took the ball away from him during their on-field meeting, it was probably a rookie mistake on the teenager’s part. Once the team had the ball, it was kind of over.

Of course, a day later, the seller has remorse. Cason and Jackson talked to people and did more research. Why wouldn’t the team give him tickets to a future home game and a signed jersey like he requested? It doesn’t seem like a stretch for a ball that could be worth thousands of dollars.

Tonight, Cason, Jackson, and their friend Ethan are having dinner at an Olive Garden in Sterling, Virginia, to talk about yesterday’s crazy day. Although Ethan wasn’t at the game with them, he reached out to us on Twitter/X to tell us that his friend Cason saw the baseball and gave us some details. Jackson sent us a private message, which led to this article, as Cason called us after dinner.

After thinking about it, Cason does want Wood to have the baseball, but he also wants what he originally told Monahan when he handed him the ball.

  1. A jersey signed by Wood
  2. A signed bat
  3. A signed baseball
  4. Tickets for a match

Since Cason got the bat and ball, he deserves the tickets and jersey he asked for when he handed the ball to Monahan. It wasn’t a big ask for a home run ball. Feeling bad for Cason, I offered him one of my front row seats at the Red Porch for the Yankees/Nationals game on August 26. However, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to go because he’s back in school at the time.

Hopefully the Nats will see this and take care of this young man. Invite him back to a game with passes to watch batting practice on the field and get him a signed Wood 29 jersey. Turn this into something positive.