What Can Washington Nationals Expect From CJ Abrams in 2025?
The Washington Nationals are heading into the offseason after seeing a nice improvement in 2024 compared to 2023.
It was a solid season for the Nationals in 2024, as there were a lot of positives to take away from the 71 wins they totaled. As the organization goes through their rebuild, they have been focused on developing their young players.
One of the top players in the organization for the last couple of years has been shortstop CJ Abrams. The shortstop was one of the prospects received back in the deal that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, and he is starting to establish himself in the big leagues.
In 2024, Abrams was named to his first All-Star team, which was a big deal for the franchise considering he was a big piece in the Soto deal. This campaign, the 24-year-old totaled a .246 batting average, 20 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases.
It was a strong overall year for the young shortstop, but much of his success came in the first half of the season compared to the second half. In the first half, Abrams totaled a .268 batting average, 15 home runs, and 48 RBIs. In the second half, those numbers dropped drastically, as he had a .203 batting average and just five home runs.
Recently, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports spoke about what 2025 might look like for the 24-year-old.
“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.”
There is certainly a lot to like about Abrams’ game, but there are now some concerns about what happened off the field at the end of the season, coupled with his significant drop in production in the second half.
While the late season demotion will hopefully be a good wake-up call for Abrams, it could go the other way as well.
Even though he made the All-Star team, there are still a lot of areas where the 24-year-old can improve his game, especially on the defense.
It was certainly an odd season for Abrams, but he should be prioritizing working hard to make some improvements and find consistency heading into 2025.
