Are walks key to Abrams snapping out of slump?

Plenty of hitters have enjoyed long, successful careers despite developing a reputation for being streaky. CJ Abrams may be trying to take that idea to a new extreme.

The Nationals’ All-Star shortstop has been through a roller coaster of a season to date, performing at both ends of the offensive spectrum.

Abrams posted an excellent .295/.373/.619 slash line in April, getting off to a fantastic start. Then he slumped in May, producing a slash line of .205/.216/.304. Once the calendar flipped to June, he turned red-hot again, finishing with a stellar .374/.464/.663 slash line that earned him his first career All-Star selection. But through July and the first five days of August, he’s plummeted back to earth, with a .167/.265/.283 slash line that has threatened to undo some of the good work he did in the season’s first half.

Nobody stays hot all season long at the plate. It’s inherently a streaky pursuit. But how can Abrams, in particular, turn those down periods a bit more respectable while waiting for another hot streak to kick in?

“Accept his walks,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He’s got to learn how to accept his walks. He’s seeing a lot more breaking pitches this year than he did last year. Last year, they were trying to pound him in, throw the ball up. He got better at hitting those balls. Now he’s getting a lot more off-speed stuff. He’s got to be able to identify them, get ready a little earlier and identify them early. And give himself a chance.”

Abrams’ walk rate indeed has fluctuated as his season has progressed. He enjoyed a sold 9.2 percent walk rate in April, then grew that number to 11.3 percent in June. But he drew only one walk the entire month of May, leading to an abysmal .216 on-base percentage.

And though he’s been better since July 1, with a 7.4 percent walk rate, it’s still been good enough for only a .265 on-base percentage.

Abrams is known for being overly aggressive at times, and he’s had success when making contact on the first pitch of at-bats. But Martinez wants him to remember it’s only a good idea to swing at the first pitch when it’s a good pitch to hit. And there’s no harm in taking that pitch, especially when it’s not in his wheelhouse.

“I know he likes the ball up in the zone,” Martinez said. “Understand, 0-0, you don’t have to chase a changeup. If they want to walk you, let them walk you. It’s a double for you.”