The second half of the MLB season is here and reality is settling in across the league. Teams are coming to terms with their status as contenders or non contenders as it pertains to the playoffs.
For the Washington Nationals, they have long been out of the playoff race. The team has steadily shifted its focus to the development of their young talent and the future of their roster. One of the key figures in the young core of the Nationals’ team is MLBbro CJ Abrams, who went 2-for-4 with his ninth homer of the season in a 5-3 Nationals win over the San Francisco Giants on Friday.
Roughly 11 months ago, CJ Abrams was known as one of the Padres top prospects who became an integral part of one of the biggest trades in recent MLB history. Abrams was the main player that Washington wanted in return for Juan Soto, due to his versatility and youth.
The MLBbro started the year very slowly, batting below .240 in the first three months of the 2023 season. Now he’s producing multi-hit games like it’s going out of style. The early stages of the season may have had the team concerned about him, but when July came the MLBbro would put those worries to rest.
The mid-summer break that comes during All-Star week can usually jumpstart players who have been struggling to find a groover. That’s the case for Abrams. Batting .245 in the first half of the season, the MLBbro has started the second half on fire, batting .360 (as of July 21).
In a recent series against the Cardinals, he batted .462 with three extra-base hits, and only one strikeout. He was rewarded by being announced as the National League Player of the Week.
Although he is still not taking as many walks as one would like, he has still increased his on-base percentage by a considerable margin in the second half so far. He also stole nine bases in July, as many as he had the rest of the season combined.
CJ Abrams Loves The Leadoff Spot
There are two significant things to notice in the success of CJ Abrams. He has been most productive in the leadoff spot, where he has an ONP of .450.
Due to his inability to garner many walks, the Nationals have kept him primarily batting out of the eighth and ninth spots. Although a small sample size, the MLBbro has proven the leadoff spot is where he can utilize his talents.
There is also a clear gap in the team’s performance when Abrams plays well versus when he plays poorly.
Looking at the 88 games that the MLBbro has played in, 33 were wins and he has batted .347 with an OBP of .392. In the 54 losses, Abrams has batted .194, entering Friday’s performance.
It’s safe to say that correctly utilizing the cornerstone player of the Nationals’ franchise is a key step in them turning the corner towards competing in the future.
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