Right now, CJ Abrams is a man on a mission. That mission is to prove he can maintain his performance levels over a full 162 game season. Over the past couple seasons, Abrams has had excellent first half numbers before falling off in the second half. Since the All-Star Break, Abrams is doing everything he can to crush that narrative.
While this tweet has four years of data, the problem has really only been in the last two seasons. Back in 2022, Abrams was just getting his feet wet in the league and in 2023 he was actually better in the second half. It was actually that run towards the end of the 2023 season where Abrams truly burst on to the scene.
However, the past couple years have been rough. 2024 was especially disastrous with the whole casino disaster ending his season early. The 2025 fall off was not pretty, but the whole team outside of Daylen Lile was lifeless that second half. It was just a difficult season where the vibes were not high.
Entering this year though, Abrams’ second half was going to be what everyone was watching. If he did not put things together down the stretch this year, he would be in the dreaded MacKenzie Gore territory.
Abrams’ first half went according to plan, with the 25 year old having his best first half yet. He hit .275 with 20 homers, 67 RBI and an .862 OPS, being named the starting shortstop for the National League. Abrams was not quite as electric in June, but he still hit 6 homers and posted a .708 OPS. That is not an amazing month, but it was just a regular down month rather than a collapse. Even the best players usually are not elite every single month.
To say Abrams has been back to his best in July would be an understatement. He is having his best month of the season, with a .350 average and 1.099 OPS. In the last two seasons, Abrams has had a wRC+ below 100 in July, but right now it is sitting at 187.
He took things to another level on this road trip. The 25 year old set a career high when he hit his 21st home run of the season in Sacramento. Abrams took a 99 MPH heater to straight away center field on one of his most impressive swings of the season. Seeing the usually pull happy Abrams take a ball to center like that was great to see.
That swing seemed to really lock him in because Abrams was an absolute menace in Colorado. He had 7 hits, including three home runs in the series, absolutely carrying the Nats offense. In the first two games of the series, Abrams hit home runs in both, including a two homer game in the Nats loss the other night. That meant Abrams homered for three straight games, the second time he has done that this year.
He did not make it four straight yesterday, but that was arguably his most impressive performance. Abrams had four hits in the Nationals 8-0 win, which brought the team back over .500. He was using the whole field and just smoking tough pitches. We saw a very complete version of Abrams in this series. The two time All-Star got his OPS back over .900 and raised his batting average to .286.
If you want to go into some more advanced numbers, Abrams now has a 144 wRC+ and a .384 wOBA. His career highs before this season were 107 and .324, which he did last season. He has also set career bests in more traditional stats like home runs, RBI’s and WAR. It is not even August yet, and Abrams is having a career year.
We still need to see Abrams keep up the good work in August and September. However, his second half is off to a smashing start. Right now, he is 11 for 26 with four home runs since the All-Star Break.
One thing that will loom over Abrams for the next couple weeks are the trade rumors ahead of the deadline. Personally, I find an Abrams trade this deadline to be quite unlikely. However, there will be persistent rumors, and a trade is not out of the picture. Right now, Abrams is doing a great job drowning out the noise and the Nats just keep winning.
Heading into the season, Abrams was open about his goal of finishing strong. He talked about how he improved his work habits and diet in an attempt to sustain for the whole 162. Abrams really does seem like he has matured a lot since that incident a couple years ago. He has developed into a team leader and a guy that the younger players look up to.
Abrams is always talking in the dugout, usually about what the pitcher is doing and spreading wisdom to his teammates. Maturity is not my only reason for confidence though. It is clear that this coaching staff, especially on the hitting side, is a lot better. If Abrams does go on a mini slump, like he did in June, it will be corrected.
In the past, slumping hitters often spiraled out of control for months at a time. However, under Matt Borgschulte, those adjustments are being made. There are times where James Wood struggles to make contact, but they do not last as long as they did last season.
Between the coaching staff, Abrams’ maturity and the overall competitiveness of the team, I am confident that this is the year where Abrams finishes strong. The early returns are excellent, but we still have a couple more months to go. CJ Abrams is having a career year, and hopefully this is the first of many elite seasons that Abrams has with the Nationals.
