Washington Nationals Star Slugger Back on Track After Brutal End to Last Season

Heading into the MLB offseason, there were legitimate concerns for the Washington Nationals about shortstop CJ Abrams.

There may not have been a player in baseball who had as poor of a finish to the campaign as him.

An All-Star for the first time in his career, his production plummeted in the second half of the year. He produced a .203/.260/.326 slash line with five home runs, eight doubles, 17 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 47 games and 204 plate appearances.

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It was a far cry from the .268/.343/.489 slash line with 15 home runs, 21 doubles, six triples, 48 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 88 games and 398 plate appearances.

The cherry on top of Abrams’ poor production was that he got suspended for breaking team rules during their final road trip of the season visiting the Chicago Cubs.

There was some pressure on him entering the winter, as he had to prove to the Nationals that he learned from the mistake he made on top of cementing his status as the team’s shortstop of the future.

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Thus far in 2025, he has done just that, as he is a clear part of the team’s long-term future in the lineup alongside left fielder James Wood.

He is producing at the plate consistently with a .260/.327/.456 slash line and 123 OPS+. Abrams has hit eight home runs, 12 doubles and two triples, knocking in 20 runs and stealing 11 bases.

A move away from shortstop could eventually come, with his defensive shortcomings still being a concern. He has a -5 Fielding Run Value currently, which is in the 5th percentile, and -7 Outs Above Average, which is in the 2nd percentile.

Despite the lack of impact defensively, he has already produced a 1.7 bWAR.

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At 24 years old, he is a legitimate building block for the franchise somewhere in their lineup. Lacking impact hitters, he should be part of the long-term plans with his level of play.

Now, he just has to prove he can do it over the long haul, avoiding another second half swoon. 

If he can do that, Washington should explore potential extensions, starting to lock their key contributors into long-term deals to start pushing out of the rebuild.

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