CJ Abrams: Our new man in the middle

[DCsOwn]

https://twitter.com/statmastersteve/status/1653596621433626626?s=46&t=Q_qc3R_qyMHAAFvlywNqzQ

I still think he has star upside

[imref]

.364/.391/.545 over his last 7 games.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://twitter.com/statmastersteve/status/1653596621433626626?s=46&t=Q_qc3R_qyMHAAFvlywNqzQ

I still think he has star upside

The tweet points out "since 1st 3 games of the year it's a really good .271/.333/.435 .768 OPS. " That's a month of success.

He was always supposed to have a very good hit tool (FV 70) with the potential to grow into average power.  MLB average ISO this year is .158. Abrams since the 1st 3 games is right about that (.164). In fact, MLB average OPS is .725, so he's topping that too.

Perhaps defense more than offense will end up being the key to his future. Tools-wise, that was a question mark.

[DCsOwn]

The tweet points out "since 1st 3 games of the year it's a really good .271/.333/.435 .768 OPS. " That's a month of success.

He was always supposed to have a very good hit tool (FV 70) with the potential to grow into average power.  MLB average ISO this year is .158. Abrams since the 1st 3 games is right about that (.164). In fact, MLB average OPS is .725, so he's topping that too.

Perhaps defense more than offense will end up being the key to his future. Tools-wise, that was a question mark.

Quality context brother 💯

[DCsOwn]

I still think it’s star upside 💯

https://twitter.com/nationals/status/1658236573106806786?s=46&t=Q_qc3R_qyMHAAFvlywNqzQ

[DCsOwn]

https://twitter.com/onepursuittakes/status/1658498625536704514?s=46&t=Q_qc3R_qyMHAAFvlywNqzQ

[imref]

I'm not sure i'd trade Abrams for Soto straight up at this point, at least not without Soto agreeing to an extension.

[Natsinpwc]

I'm not sure i'd trade Abrams for Soto straight up at this point, at least not without Soto agreeing to an extension.

Yea. A year and a half of Soto is useless to the Nats.

ESPN keeps running a feature on the City Connect uniforms every time one is added. They still have Juan features in the Nats uniform and his picture shows up on my front page.

[Slateman]

On pace for 29 errors this season

[rileyn]

On pace for 29 errors this season

I think he needs a few more days off throughout the season.  The same can be said for Ruiz and Garcia.  I know we are trying to develop them, but a couple extra days off here and there won't hurt them.

[nobleisthyname]

After a mediocre but promising April/May, Abrams has gone ice cold in June. -31 wRC+. Which means he's been 131% worse than league average with the bat. Slate has mentioned it a few times, but I'm starting to also wonder if he and the team wouldn't be better served getting his seasoning done in the minors rather than the big leagues. Not sure how helpful it is for him to be so overmatched at the plate and on the field day in and day out.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The thing is, right now, there's 3 40 man roster SS - Abrams and Vargas, with Downs hurt in AAA. Were you to send down Abrams, that would leave Vargas, with Garcia as the back up in case of injury. Jordy Barley was just called up to Rochester from Wilmington not based on performance but rather due injuries to Downs and the other SS.

[imref]

on a rebuilding team i see no reason to not let Abrams keep playing.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

on a rebuilding team i see no reason to not let Abrams keep playing.

you don't want to crush him. I think a premature call up was part of Carter K's problem.

[rileyn]

I don't know, Man. I'm not a stats guy like most of you on this site.  I'm more of a rube that goes by what my eyes see and I'm not seeing it with him.  I understand he is the youngest starting SS in the majors.  Every now and then he hits the ball hard (as he did last night with his rbi double), but I see a guy that seems overmatched at the plate and in the field, and I don't see signs of progress.

[Natsinpwc]

Lots of room for improvement.  If he could clean up the defense then the hitting woes would be easier to take.  Just ride out the year with him and hope he shows some signs.

[aspenbubba]

you don't want to crush him. I think a premature call up was part of Carter K's problem.

I’ve said this previously that the early HR’s he hit in his initial call up were his undoing. He thought he was the second coming of Rendon. If I recall correctly he did well in AAA.

[Slateman]

you don't want to crush him. I think a premature call up was part of Carter K's problem.

But thats essentially done with CJ. It seems pretty obvious he wasnt ready to be an MLB shortstop. He's held his composure,  but he easily could have stayed in Triple A for another season.

And the conversation now needs to be, does he belong at short? Or should there be serious consideration to move him

[JCA-CrystalCity]

But thats essentially done with CJ. It seems pretty obvious he wasnt ready to be an MLB shortstop. He's held his composure,  but he easily could have stayed in Triple A for another season.

And the conversation now needs to be, does he belong at short? Or should there be serious consideration to move him

yes, my point was just letting cj take his lumps in the majors, as Imref said, may crush him. To me, the issue is more the lack of anyone healthy and capable of backing up Vargas in the upper levels of the org were cj sent down

[imref]

I cast an asg ballot today. Across the board the NL SS classs was pretty awful.

[aspenbubba]

yes, my point was just letting cj take his lumps in the majors, as Imref said, may crush him. To me, the issue is more the lack of anyone healthy and capable of backing up Vargas in the upper levels of the org were cj sent down

Wasn’t that the same scenario in SD?

[Slateman]

yes, my point was just letting cj take his lumps in the majors, as Imref said, may crush him. To me, the issue is more the lack of anyone healthy and capable of backing up Vargas in the upper levels of the org were cj sent down

Is the damage already done?

[Natsinpwc]

Damage done? Like it was with Gray last year? LOL.

I think there is no one size fits all for whether you send a young guy down to the minors. Everyone is different. Sending him down might break his confidence also. Let’s ride it out for while.

[imref]

I haven't gone back and looked, but IIRC, we were saying the same things about Garcia last year - wasn't ready for the majors, couldn't field, confidence would be ruined....

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Wasn’t that the same scenario in SD?

in sd, they brought him up early when tatis was hurt or suspended