Like every team in the league, there have been times this season where the Nats have struggled with runners in scoring position. Breaking through with the bases loaded and nobody out has been weirdly tough for this elite offense. However, when CJ Abrams comes to the plate in a big spot, he seems to deliver every time, and did it again last night.
When you watch the games, it is easy to see that Abrams has been a clutch player this year. He has had a number of big moments, and is second in baseball
in RBI’s. The advanced numbers are even more impressive for Abrams in big spots. Even before yesterday’s heroics, Abrams’ wRC+ with RISP was nearly 200 and it was above 200 in high leverage spots.
As this post states, we have not seen a clutch performer like this since Anthony Rendon back in 2019. A big storyline this season is that Abrams has become a more mature player on and off the field. He has spoken a lot about how he has a better routine and is taking better care of his body. That maturity is also resulting in a slow heartbeat on the field, which is making him an RBI machine.
Having followed the Nats for most of my life, I have learned that the most clutch players are the ones who do not get too emotional. There is a reason Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg were the two clutchest players in the Nats playoff run. They never got too high or too low. Abrams has some of those same qualities in big spots. He will stare at homers, but outside of that, he is not an overly emotional player.
That is part of what makes him an RBI machine. For the season, Abrams now has 51 RBI. This puts him on pace for a 124 RBI season, which would be the second most in team history, only behind 2019 Anthony Rendon. Blake Butera moving Abrams to the cleanup spot has proven to be a brilliant idea.
At first, the idea of hitting James Wood in the leadoff spot and Abrams in the middle of the order seemed odd. Abrams had been the leadoff man for years, and had done well in that role. He was never exactly an RBI machine either, with his career high being 65. Wood was more of your prototypical middle of the order bat.
However, the move actually makes a ton of sense when you think about it. Wood gets on base a ton, but his swing and miss issues make it tougher for him to hit that single with guys on second and third. While Abrams has the speed of a leadoff man, he does not see a ton of pitches or get on base at the same clip as Wood. What Abrams does well is make contact, especially with runners on base.
Another positive of this lineup construction is that it splits up Wood and Abrams. It really lengthens the lineup and puts stress on the pitching staff. This Nats lineup is incredibly tough to navigate from 1 to about 7. There are so many different skillsets in there even beyond Wood and Abrams. Curtis Mead and Luis Garcia Jr. are both solid hitters, but they get it done in such different ways.
After a passed ball put runners on second and third with Abrams at the plate, I think the Giants should have intentionally walked him. However, as Gus Varland put it, this entire lineup is tough to pitch to. The pressure is never really off.
Varland’s quote fired me up, but the Giants should have walked Abrams. They did not, and the Nats 25 year old star made them pay. This was such a great comeback win, and it was the first time the Nats have won while trailing after 8 innings in a long time. Before last night, they were 0-29 when trailing after 8 this season.
CJ Abrams made them 1-29, and put the Nats back over .500. He is such a key part of this team. Abrams is the Nats chief run producer, and he also appears to be developing into a leader. Blake Butera always mentions that Abrams is one of the last guys to leave the building. Whenever the TV shows shots of the dugout, you often see players gravitating towards Abrams.
While Abrams has always been one of the better players on the team and had some aura, he was not necessarily using it to lead. This year he has grown up and become that leader. There are always players around him looking at the IPad, or just chatting in the dugout. CJ Abrams is a leader in the clubhouse and captain clutch in the batters box.
