The Washington Nationals have a star on their hands for this season and the future with shortstop CJ Abrams. The 23-year-old made his first All-Star game this season and hit his 17th home run on Tuesday night. This home run was a jaw-dropper because of the pitch location. Take a look.
Abrams took a letter-high pitch and pulled it over the right-field wall for a home run. This was no cheap shot either. The home run would have been out in 28 of the 30 MLB ballparks. Only Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium and San Francisco's Oracle Park would have kept this ball in, according to Baseball Savant. Nationals fans took notice and went to social media to express their disbelief.
@cbass said, “How did he hit this out????” @reesedavid77312 asked, “How in the world is a pitch in that location resulting in a no-doubt home run?” And @LAnd_WILSON1 said “This makes no sense. That’s pure strength.”
While the Nationals have not had a great season this year, Abrams has been a bright spot for the team. They acquired him from the San Diego Padres as a part of the return for outfielder Juan Soto. The Padres have now moved on from Soto just as Abrams rises into stardom. What is the future for CJ Abrams and the Nationals?
Future of Nationals and CJ Abrams
The American League has two shortstops separating from the pack as two of the best young players in baseball. Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson were both All-Stars and in the Home Run Derby this season. They are also in the thick of the MVP race on the AL side, just behind Aaron Judge.
Abrams has not had the same type of season that Henderson and Witt have but has shown the capability of putting together those types of years offensively. His defensive metrics do not jump off the page, however. Baseball Savant says his fielding run value is in the third percentile and his arm strength is in the first percentile. He has put up a -10 Outs Above Average this season, the worst among all shortstops.
Henderson and Witt are MVP candidates because of their play on both offense and defense. The Nationals need Abrams to step up his defensive abilities to take the next step as a team. They do have promising young players at other positions, Luis Garcia Jr at second base and Keibert Ruiz at catcher, but Abrams provides the most promise.
Despite that, 2024 marks a great start to Abrams' career. He will get to 20 home runs and 65 RBI for the first time, barring injury. He has had a few highlight reel moments and has done most of it while batting leadoff. The Nationals hope he can provide the same spark that Trea Turner did to their World Series-winning team in 2019.
The Nationals should be ready to power out of their rebuild very soon. After an active trade deadline saw them deal Jesse Winker, Lane Thomas, and Dylan Floro for prospects, they have a stacked pipeline. With number two overall prospect James Wood breaking onto the scene recently, don't be surprised to see the Nationals in the Wild Card race next year.
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