In case you have forgotten, as I am sure CJ Abrams and the Washington Nationals organization would like to, the ending of the 2024 season for Abrams was an absolute disaster. While we should have been celebrating his campaign for becoming an All-Star for the first time in his career and seemingly establishing himself as a franchise cornerstone for years to come, he instead was demoted to AAA after a news story went viral about him being in a casino in Chicago until the waking hours of the morning. If that was not bad enough, it made it even worse that the Nationals played a day game against the Cubs that day, and he had a pretty lethargic performance at the plate, in a game the Nats ultimately lost as well.
This offseason was one in which it appears Abrams went through a lot of personal and physical growth, and hopefully we are seeing him mature and take the next steps necessary to become a better player in all facets of the game. This week, he was among a group of Nationals' position players to report early to Spring Training to get some work in early, although he did not have to show up until next week when position players are due to report.
Getting better defensively was a main focus of his during the offseason, as he brought in a renowned infield consultant in Nate Trosky, who has worked with guys like Nolan Arenado, Royce Lewis, and Mike Moustakas among others on the infield, to focus on improving his defense at shortstop. Abrams also worked with Nationals' hitting coach Darnell Coles, who went down to visit Abrams personally in Georgia as well, in an effort to hopefully fix whatever sort of gaps or holes in his swing or approach developed for Abrams in the second half of last season.
Additionally, Abrams confirmed during his first media availability of the Nationals' time down in West Palm Beach that he put on about 10 pounds of muscle, which was very obvious by just looking at him and his frame that he had the ability to add some weight.
Credit to Nationals' blog Talk Nats, who grabbed some great excerpts from Abrams' media availability, when speaking about the demotion from the end of the 2024 season, and some of the lessons that he has learned because of them.
"I just put it behind me. Things happen, and you have got to move forward. I am here now.CJ Abrams [via Talk Nats]
It took some time [to process the demotion]. I just went home, put the work in, and I got better."
Truly, I am hoping for the best for CJ Abrams, and I think he is ready to bounce in a big way in 2025. Time will tell if all of the work that he put in to get better on both sides of the ball on the field as well as off the field will make him a better person and player, but who am I to doubt someone with his talent and capabilities? I have always been a believer in CJ, and my confidence in him will not be wavering any time soon.
I’ll say it, I think that the CJ Abrams trade discourse on this app/community is absolutely insane. The guy isn’t even 24-years-old yet and has still improved every season, even with his two brutal months in a row. Sure he’s not a Gold Glove SS or a Silver Slugger yet, but he’s… pic.twitter.com/iB8gVBEseg
— Bennett Lehmann (@DCBerk) August 30, 2024
Do you think CJ Abrams will have a big 2025 season? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.