Abrams hopes rare opposite-field homer is first of many

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The ball shot off CJ Abrams’ bat and made a beeline for the left field wall, clearing it with some room to spare as the Nationals shortstop rounded the bases to applause Friday night from the crowd at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.

A solo homer on March 7 from an established big leaguer isn’t all that noteworthy, but this one felt different not because of who hit it, but where he hit it.

Abrams hit 20 home runs for the Nats last season. Every single one of them was hit to right or right-center field. This one, of course, went to the opposite field, which made it very notable to the 24-year-old.

“It was big,” Abrams said. “I’ve been seeing it really well up there. I’ve been swinging at better pitches. The results early on probably wasn’t the best, but I was getting good contact.”

Abrams entered Friday only 3-for-19 at the plate this spring, making a lot of contact early in the count. He hadn’t struck out, but he hadn’t been hitting the ball with much authority, either.

This, though, was a welcome sight for the Nationals, who believe opposite-field power can be a more consistent part of Abrams’ game.

“Oh, absolutely,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We’re trying to get him to stay on the ball and really incorporate the middle of the field: left-center, right-center. It’s in there. He doesn’t have to fly open. If he stays on the ball, he’s going to hit. When he makes contact, he hits the ball hard.”

Abrams enjoyed a dominant first half in 2024 because of his ability to drive fastballs on the inner-third of the plate to right and right-center fields. He then slumped in the second half in large part because pitchers rarely came inside on him anymore, keeping the ball away with a steady dose of breaking balls and changeups.

“This year, you have to make that adjustment as well,” Martinez told Abrams. “Show them that you’re going to stay on the ball, hit the ball the other way. You’ll start getting those (inside fastballs) again.”

Abrams said he’s been working on it in the cage, prioritizing line drives up the middle and to the opposite field on anything over the plate or away. To see that actually translate in game action the way he did Friday was encouraging. (He also lined an RBI single to center later in the game.)

“Being able to see the ball deep and drive the ball that way is big,” he said. “If I can use all parts of the field and be able to adjust to pitches, then I can swing at better ones.”

Of course, Abrams’ third inning homer was quickly upstaged by the guy batting two spots behind him. James Wood, no stranger to driving the ball the other way, launched a mammoth, two-run homer that cleared the grassy berm in left-center and reached the concourse behind it.

“Oh my god, that thing went forever,” Abrams gushed.

Wood, who also launched a tape-measure homer to left-center two days earlier in Jupiter, has already established himself as one of the premier opposite-field power hitters in the sport. How many others in the game, Martinez was asked, can hit a ball like Wood has this week?

“Not too many. Not too many,” the manager said. “Those two home runs he’s hit have been like, wow.”

Martinez then paused before giving the answer he clearly was thinking about the entire time.

“Soto,” he said with a laugh. “I didn’t want to say it, because we're playing the Mets. But he’s the guy.”

Does Abrams have any visions of putting himself into that conversation as well now that he’s shown he can homer to the opposite field?

“No, no,” he said. “I’ll stick to my wall-scrapers.”