Most significant stories of 2024: Abrams' roller coaster year

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2024. We continue the series today with CJ Abrams’ wild, up-and-down season …

Had you been asked on Opening Day to pick the Nationals player most likely destined for a breakout season, you very well might have said CJ Abrams.

The young shortstop had made some significant strides during the second half of the 2023 season, whether at the plate, on the bases or in the field, and there was real optimism about his chances of putting it all together in 2024.

And for a prolonged stretch, that’s exactly what he did, living up to the lofty expectations and establishing himself as the best player on this up-and-coming team. Until he slumped badly in the second half, then shockingly saw his season end not in Washington but in West Palm Beach following a disciplinary demotion.

Let’s start with the good stuff. Abrams stormed out of the gates with a blistering opening month. At the end of April, he was batting .295 with a .373 on-base percentage, .619 slugging percentage, 16 extra-base hits (seven of them homers) and seven stolen bases. It was a breakthrough in the best possible way.

May saw Abrams slump, but he picked right back up where he left off in June with a ridiculous .374/.464/.663 slash line. By the end of that month, he had played in 75 total games for the season, owner of an .858 OPS, 20 doubles, five triples, 13 homers, 50 runs scored and 14 steals. The 23-year-old rightfully earned the first All-Star selection of his career and headed to Dallas to represent the franchise as one of the most dynamic young players in the sport.

“For him to have the half that he’s had says a lot about where we’re at as far as youth,” manager Davey Martinez said at the time. “We’re very happy for him, for his family. It means a lot to us that he gets to represent the Nationals.”

It was all going so well, and then suddenly it wasn’t. Abrams slumped coming out of the All-Star break, and it wasn’t a brief one. This was a full-blown, two-month slump. From July 8 through Sept. 7, he batted a mere .160, with a .224 on-base percentage and an abysmal .262 slugging percentage.

Over those 48 games, he managed only four homers, scoring only 17 runs, striking out 51 times with only nine walks. His season totals at that point (.238/.307/.417) didn’t look anything like numbers you’d expect from an All-Star.

Worse, Abrams’ body language suggested he knew things weren’t going well.

“I think I’ve been in my head a little bit,” he admitted in early September. “Trying to do good, trying to do my best. But I can’t focus on the result. I’ve got to just keep working, and good things will happen.”

Good things did finally happen, and it’s worth remembering that before we get to the end of Abrams’ season. Over his final eight games, he batted .393 with a .452 on-base percentage, .714 slugging percentage and five extra-base hits. He looked like his old self, and his swagger was back, especially during a four-hit, two-double performance Sept. 19 at Wrigley Field.

It all came to a grinding halt the next day. Abrams played that afternoon against the Cubs, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. But during the game, a story circulated on social media saying Abrams had been spotted at a Chicago casino that morning, only about five hours prior to first pitch. He was summoned into Martinez’s office after the game and informed he was being optioned to Triple-A Rochester (though because the minor league season was already over, he actually reported to West Palm Beach to work out with a few players who were on standby in case the Nats needed them for that final week of the season).

“I’m going to support CJ. He’s a big part of our Nats family, and he will be,” Martinez said the following day. “But at this point, for me, it’s the right thing to do.”

The Nationals are counting on being proven right about that. Abrams, who hasn’t spoken publicly since his demotion, is going to face some major questions when he reports for spring training in February. His ability to respond to his disciplinary demotion in a positive way is critical to his chances of putting the situation behind him and re-establishing his All-Star credentials.

“He’s still our guy,” general manager Mike Rizzo said at season’s end. “We love him, and he’s going to be a great player for us. Optioning him out wasn’t the end of the world. We have a standard here, and we have to keep people accountable. He still has a great upside, and he’s still going to be – in our minds – a great major league shortstop.”