Heading into the season, one of the main questions CJ Abrams had to answer was whether he could sustain his production over a full season. In 2024 and 2025, Abrams was phenomenal before the All-Star break before fading down the stretch. This season, he had his best first half yet,with a .275 average and .862 OPS which made him the starting shortstop in the All-Star game.
Unlike previous years, Abrams got off to a red hot start in the second half. His performances late in July actually helped him win
player of the month. It looked like Abrams was finally delivering a full season of excellence. However, he has fallen on hard times lately.
A lot of Nats players have been impacted by the trade deadline and the season going down the tubes, but none more than Abrams. Since the deadline, Abrams is hitting an abysmal .171 with a .536 OPS. That is just not a month you can be having if you are a star player.
Abrams has obviously had his second half slumps before, which we will get into. However, one thing that makes this run unique is just how much he is striking out. In August, Abrams stuck out over 35% of the time, which is not something I would associate with him. It is actually the most he has struck out in a month his entire MLB career.
When Abrams slumped in the past, we tended to see a lot of weak contact. Right now, he just is not making consistent contact at all. It feels like he is trying to break out of his slump with one swing, when he should be trying to just rack up base hits.
Watching Abrams come up to the plate is honestly something I dread right now. It is not even because I am mad, it is more out of sadness. Abrams is a player I really like and is so fun to watch when he is on his game. Seeing him strike out in big spots over and over is just a real bummer.
We all know that Abrams is a streaky player, but this month was extreme even by his standards. The 40 wRC+ he posted this August is the second worst since becoming a full time big leaguer and the worst of any second half month. He has had second half struggles in the past, but none of those months were as bad as this one.
When Abrams’ name was in trade rumors at the deadline, I did not want to move him unless there was a godfather offer. That seemed to be the same line of thinking the front office had. In hindsight, maybe the deadline was the perfect time to move him. They already sold off a lot of what made this offense great, so why not move Abrams as well.
For the Nats to keep Abrams into next season, there needs to be a clear plan to build a playoff team by 2028. After this deadline, that still feels far off, especially if Abrams can’t carry his weight in the second half. If they trade Abrams this offseason, you are not going to get the kind of return you would have received at the deadline.
At that time, Abrams had an extra half season of control and was exercising his second half demons. However, old habits tend to die hard and Abrams is falling back into his old ways. He just does not look right physically or mentally.
One thing that absolutely seems to have taken a toll on him is the position change. On August 14th, it was announced that Abrams would be moving to second base, something he did not sound happy about when he talked to the media. Since August 15th, Abrams is hitting .118 with a .390 OPS. He is 9 for 76 with 29 strikeouts.
Abrams has to take some blame for this, but it does not seem like the position change has gone down well. The timing of the move seemed odd and it is not aging well. If the idea was to show other teams Abrams can play second to boost his trade value, the idea backfired. The move has played a role in muting his offense, thus lowering that value.
As I said, Abrams deserves blame for letting this throw him off his game. He is a professional and needs to be a team player. However, all of this just seems like an unforced error that did not need to happen.
What could have been a special season for Abrams is once again ending on a sour note. He still has 30 homers and 28 steals, but his numbers have really gone in the tank. When July ended, Abrams had a .290 average and .930 OPS. Today, CJ Abrams now has a .259 average and .827 OPS.
That .930 OPS was over his true talent level and we had to expect regression. However, it is very disappointing to see Abrams totally go in the tank down the stretch. He is getting better every year, but we always end seasons with more questions than answers.
With a career 56 wRC+ in August and 84 wRC+ in September, this might just be who Abrams is. The only thing that is holding me back from saying that outright is the kinds of teams he has been on. Over the last three seasons, the Nats have been a pretty sad team down the stretch.
Abrams is clearly a player who thrives off good vibes and confidence. With everything collapsing around him, it is tough to have those things. If he were actually on a team that was competitive in September, I do not think the collapses would be this bad.
However, that is just a theory right now. At some point, Abrams has to go out there and prove he can perform at even an average level the last two months of the season. If Abrams wants to consider himself a superstar that deserves a massive payday, he cannot perform like this down the stretch.
