Jun 15, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (5) uses a blue bat for Father’s Day against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Nationals Shortstop Has Quietly Become One of NL's Best in 2025

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Jacob Moss | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 11:00 AM ET

It's hard to find many silver linings for the Washington Nationals in 2025, as the team has once again found itself unable to get over the preverbal hump in what is now year five of their long-term rebuild.

One of the few bright spots that Nationals' faithful have been able to enjoy amidst the overall poor showing their favorite team has put on display has been the promising group of young players that have finally broken through at the MLB level.

Guys like James Wood and MacKenzie Gore have become legit star players this season, and several other budding stars seem poised to make the same jump for the team very soon.

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While this young core has undoubtedly been the highlight of what's become a pretty dreadful year in Washington, there's also been another budding star who has broken out in his own right despite being overshadowed a bit by his younger teammates.

This would be third-year shortstop CJ Abrams, who has become one of the best shortstops in the entire National League despite the relative lack of coverage he's received.

As of this writing, Abrams holds a .279 batting average and has racked up 10 homers, 24 RBIs and has swiped 15 bags. He also owns an .832 OPS, which, according to StatMuse, ranks first among all shortstops across in the NL.

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CJ Abrams had a strong game. 2 hits, on base 3 times, this HR. Long ABs, lots of good takes.

pic.twitter.com/Y42IHFqzRK
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) June 21, 2025

Abrams finding another gear has naturally come as a breath of fresh air for the Nationals, especially after the rather hectic second half he had in 2024.

It may seem hard to remember, but Abrams was actually named to last season's All Star game as a reserve after a very stellar first few months.

All of that was quickly overshadowed by both Washington's poor play and Adams' off-the-field antics, which included being caught out in the early morning hours at a casino the night before a game, leading to the team to send him down to Triple-A to finish off the season.

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Despite all of the negative stories this generated, Abrams entered 2025 with a different mindset, stating that he was ready to put whatever transpired the season before in the rear view mirror.

It's safe to say he's done just that, and with the way he's playing he could very well end up making yet another All Star team next month.

The rest of the Nationals young stars are certainly worthy of high praise, but it's clear that Abrams also deserves his flowers as well.

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This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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