Nationals Hope Their Young Star's Massive Homer Breaks His Worrying Slump
Putting it lightly, the Washington Nationals are hoping their young shortstop CJ Abrams can continue his ascension into becoming a star.
Putting it more boldly, they need that to happen.
Abrams was one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade the Nationals made back in 2022, and they have allowed him to mature at the Major League level when they routinely started the 21-year-old in their linup after acquiring him.
Growing pains are to be expected, especially at his age, but it finally looked like he was breaking through with the best season of his career this year when he was selected to his first All-Star Game with a .268/.343/.489 slash line, 15 homers, 42 extra-base hits, and 48 RBI prior to the Midsummer Classic.
However, the youngster has really struggled in the second half, highlighted by his .173 batting average in 150 at-bats that caused Washington's skipper Dave Martinez to sit Abrams in the back-to-back games on Sept. 4 and 5.
It wasn't a punishment by any means, as this was more of a way to work with him on some things they had seen him struggle with during this stretch.
That paid off in a major way as Abrams hit a lead-off homer on Sunday 416 feet after going 1-for-9 in the doubleheader on Saturday.
The Nationals are hoping that turns the back half of his season around, and allows him to build some momentum heading into the winter and next year.
"It was big. You've just got to believe in yourself when you're up there at the plate and keep working," Abrams said per Jake Crouse of MLB.com when discussing his home run.
He ended up going 1-for-4 in the contest, but he had a fly out to center field in his next at-bat which is another positive sign regarding what they were working on.
Martinez shared what exactly it was they highlighted when it came to the swing issues that Abrams has been having post-All-Star break.
"He's really flying open and his stride is getting really long. We're trying to shorten him up a little bit and get him to hit the ball back up the middle of the field," the manager said.
Washington's coaching staff has worked with him on his bat angle, setup, and motion in the batting cage, hoping that starts translating over to the field.
Based on his age, Abrams is going to be a featured part of this franchise for the foreseeable future with him not being arbitration eligible until 2026.
BRAD WAKAI