The Nationals just lost three straight to the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing 29 runs over the brutal stretch. A bad run is bound to happen for any MLB team throughout the 162-game grind of a season. The team still has great attributes to hang their hats upon. The latest MLB announcement proves that fact.
CJ Abrams named All-Star finalist after career first half
The MLB announced its All-Star Finalists on Thursday, June 25. The list features one National: CJ Abrams. He is a finalist to start at shortstop, battling with Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
To defeat the 8-time All-Star, 7-time Gold Glove, and 6-time Silver Slugger in Betts shall be no easy feat. In fact, Betts will likely beat out Abrams. However, the result will become what the fans will, so click that vote button, Nationals fans.
Here are your National League All-Star Ballot FINALISTS!
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2026
Phase 2 voting opens Monday, 6/29 at noon ET and closes on Thursday, 7/2. Vote totals reset.
Shohei Ohtani earned an automatic bid as the top overall vote-getter in Phase 1. pic.twitter.com/JRORrrbMCc
James Wood egregiously snubbed after being left out of Phase 2 voting
What we do take note of is the list of outfield finalists. James Wood is unlisted, falling behind to Andy Pages, Brandon Marsh (PHI), Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL), Teoscar Hernandez* (LAD), Juan Soto (NYM, and Michael Harris II (ATL).
*Hernandez is currently on the Injured List.
Wood is not only having an All-Star-caliber season but also the best season of his career. Over 315 at-bats, Wood is hitting to a .260 batting average with a .896 OPS, 20 home runs, and 13 stolen bases. Per Fangraphs, Wood has the 5th-best offensive rating of any player in the MLB.
Unfortunately, Wood seems to have fallen victim to the hype of the MLB's best teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves have two of the biggest fan bases in the National League. In doing so, the Dodgers had 3 outfielders reach the top-9 in All-Star Voting at the position. The Braves had all 3 of their outfielders reach the top-11.
Wood did stand tall, but inches away from being tall enough. As of June 22, Wood ranked 7th in the NL in outfielder All-Star votes. He was about 32,000 votes behind Soto. Beggars cannot be choosers, or something like that. Wood will still be very likely to get a reserve spot.
Will CJ Abrams make it to the All-Star Game?
The focus is on the man who is headed to his next round of interviews. Can Abrams get the All-Star start? It comes down to the fan voting, which enters its 2nd and final phase.
As of June 22, Abrams was edging out Betts for the most votes at the position. However, the margin was thin: 31,000 votes. Precisely, Abrams had 1.192 million votes, whereas Betts had 1.161 million. The race to get over the hump shall be tight and unpredictable.
Abrams deserves it, whether he wins the job or not. He has 290 at-bats in 2026, reaching a .289 batting average, .897 OPS, 17 home runs, and 13 stolen bases. Abrams is 10th in the MLB in offensive rating.
Phase 2 of All-Star Voting will begin on June 29 and run through July 2. The All-Star Game will be held on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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