What's in store for Abrams after a roller coaster season?

PLAYER REVIEW: CJ ABRAMS

Age on Opening Day 2025: 24

How acquired: Traded with James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana and Luke Voit from Padres for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, August 2022

MLB service time: 2 years, 130 days

2024 salary: $752,400

Contract status: Expected to be arbitration-eligible (Super Two) in 2025, free agent in 2029

2024 stats: 138 G, 602 PA, 541 AB, 79 R, 133 H, 29 2B, 6 3B, 20 HR, 65 RBI, 31 SB, 12 CS, 40 BB, 128 SO, .246 AVG, .314 OBP, .433 SLG, .747 OPS, 110 OPS+, 1 DRS, -18 OAA, 3.4 bWAR, 1.9 fWAR

Quotable: “He’s still our guy. 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.” – Mike Rizzo

2024 analysis: While CJ Abrams’ 2024 season may be remembered most for how it ended – more on that in a moment – it’s worth remembering how it started, because it started in fantastic fashion. On the heels of a strong finish to his 2023 campaign, Abrams burst out of the gates with a great April (.992 OPS) that included four triples and seven homers. And though he slumped in May (.519 OPS), he bounced back big-time in June with his most impressive month in the big leagues yet (1.127 OPS).

That made Abrams an obvious candidate for the first All-Star selection of his career, and he deservedly soaked in the adulation during his three days in Texas in mid-July. But he returned from the break and immediately slumped. His combined July and August slash line was an abysmal .181/.271/.301 and left his season totals looking anything but All-Star-caliber.

Abrams was actually showing signs of breaking out of the slump in September, going 10 for his last 21 with three doubles and a homer. And that seemed to put him on track to close out a roller coaster of a season on a legitimate high note. Until a fateful weekend in Chicago, during which he was spotted at a casino at 8 a.m., barely five hours before scheduled first pitch at Wrigley Field. Abrams did play that afternoon, but following the game Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez confronted him about the casino situation and ultimately informed him he was being optioned to Triple-A as punishment.

Because Rochester’s season was already over, Abrams actually was sent to the club’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he spent that final week working out with several other minor leaguers who were on-call in case the big league club needed them. By all accounts, he participated in those drills without issue and then went home to Georgia for the offseason, his return next spring suddenly a much bigger deal than anyone could have foreseen.

2025 outlook: The Nationals are banking on Abrams taking his surprise September demotion the right way and returning next season a better and more focused player, similar to the way Luis Garcia Jr. bounced back so well this year after he was sent to Triple-A late in the 2023 season (albeit for different reasons). It’s up to the 24-year-old shortstop to actually respond the way the club believes he will. If he doesn’t, this has the potential to turn into a real problem.

Let’s assume Abrams does put it all behind him and returns next spring a new man. There are still areas of his game that need improvement if he wants to more consistently play like the All-Star he was in the first half and not like the subpar player he was in the second half.

Abrams worked hard with hitting coach Darnell Coles on his swing mechanics and approach during his slump, and it was truly encouraging to see him reap the benefits of that during those final couple weeks. His timing was better. His contact was louder. And the numbers backed it up. The best thing he can do as a hitter: Hunt fastballs (he slugged .588 against them) over the plate, and even those down and in, where he still showed a knack for loud contact.

There are other areas that need improvement in Abrams’ game. He was a much less effective baserunner this year than in 2023, going just 31-for-43 on stolen base attempts after he was an incredible 47-for-51 the previous season. At times, he looked a bit spooked leading off first, unsure whether to be aggressive or lean back toward the bag in fear of being picked off. In the field, he also has work to do. Abrams’ defensive metrics were not good this season, down from 2023, especially in the range department. He made fewer errors (17 from 22) but got to far fewer balls, as evidenced by a significant drop in defensive chances (526 from 651).