As we enter the second half, there are a few players and storylines I am going to watch. Obviously, the Nats offense has been fantastic this season, but to erase all lingering doubt about the sustainability of the group, they will have to keep performing. Today, I am going to take a look at three hitters to monitor following the All-Star Break.
This second half might be the most important stretch of games in Dylan Crews’ career. It might not be totally make or break, but it is pretty close. The former
second overall pick was one of the most productive and decorated college players this century. However, his stardom at LSU has not translated to the big leagues.
After getting called in mid-May, Crews is hitting just .211 with a .613 OPS. There have been some moments to get excited about, but as has been the case for most of Crews’ pro career, it has been one step forward, two steps backwards. We are now 163 games into Crews’ career, and he is a career .211 hitter with a .627 OPS. He does have 19 homers and 34 steals in his career, but that is not enough to make up for the lack of overall hitting.
When you compare his MLB numbers and college numbers, the fall off is pretty shocking. MLB Pipeline gave Crews a 70 hit tool and 60 power, but he has not come close to approaching that since leaving Baton Rouge. We saw that Paul Toboni is not afraid to dump underperforming big names, as he just shipped off Robert Hassell III for cash.
If Crews wants to avoid that fate, he needs to get going. Right now, it looks like his confidence is shaky and he was falling back into bad habits in the last couple of weeks. A lot of the raw tools are still there for Crews, but he needs to put it together quickly. If it is more of the same for the former LSU star, his spot in the Nationals outfield should be under massive threat heading into 2027.
The next player I want to talk about is a very different story, but also has plenty to prove in the second half. CJ Abrams has been highly productive this season, as one would expect from the National League’s starting shortstop in the All-Star game. However, Abrams will have to reverse a recent trend in the last few months of the season.
Over the last two seasons, Abrams has been awesome in the first half before hitting a wall down the stretch. Last season, Abrams hit .287 with an .836 OPS prior to the All-Star break. However, those numbers collapsed to .217 and .634 in the second half. Abrams was striking out more, walking less and was just less effective all around.
The drop off was even more extreme in 2024 though. He made his first All-Star team that year and was hitting .268 with an .832 OPS. In the second half, Abrams hit just .203 with a .586 OPS before his season ended prematurely following the whole casino fiasco in Chicago.
It is worth noting that Abrams’ first half numbers are even better than they were in previous years. Right now, Abrams is hitting .275 with an .862 OPS. He is hitting for more power and taking more walks.
Putting in extra work has been a big theme for Abrams this year. The 25 year old is well aware of what has happened the last two seasons, and wants to stay consistent for a full 162 games this year. There was a good story in the Baltimore Banner about how Abrams and James Wood, who also had a rough second half last year, are putting in extra work to stay sharp for the whole 162.
With better hitting coaches and this new approach, I have confidence that Abrams can stabilize in the second half. However, it would be crazy not to have some lingering concerns given what has happened in the last two years.
There will also be some new distractions for Abrams this time around. His name is likely to be involved in trade rumors prior to the deadline. Hopefully he is able to drown out the outside noise and keep going in what has been a tremendous season for the shortstop.
Lastly, I want to talk about a player who has not had a terrible season, but has been fairly underwhelming given what he showed last year. Daylen Lile is an absolute joy to watch when he is at his best, but he has not been in peak form often enough this season. After an explosive September last year, Lile has come down to earth, hitting just .246 with a .698 OPS this season.
Those numbers, especially combined with his much improved defense, are not dreadful, but we all want to see more from Lile in the second half. It was the second half when Lile truly made a name for himself last year. The speedy outfielder hit .333 with a .956 OPS, capped off by winning NL Player of the Month in September. He was a triple machine, who was such a great hitter.
We have seen greatness from Lile at times this year, but it just comes in explosive two or three game spurts before he tails off again. The biggest reason for Lile’s offensive regression comes from his plate discipline collapsing. His chase rate has gone from an above average 26.7% to 37.5%, the same rate as the infamously swing happy Keibert Ruiz.
Lile’s lack of discipline has made him easier to pitch to, as he just gets himself out a lot of times. Getting the best version of Lile back will make the Nats offense even more potent. We all know there is a great hitter in Daylen Lile, he just needs to stop pressing so much and get back to the basics.
The Nats have a lot to prove in the second half, but these three guys especially so. Cade Cavalli and literally anyone in the bullpen are honorable mentions as well. It was a tough way to end a strong first half, but now it is time for the Nats to get back on the horse and prove they are a team on the rise who can contend for years to come. Crews, Abrams and Lile proving themselves down the stretch will go a long way towards achieving that goal.
