The Washington Nationals are, against all odds, a decent MLB team these days.
After rebuilding for a few years, they have been respectable to open the 2024 season and boast a 14-14 record.
Their -5 run differential goes in accordance to that record: at the moment, they are an average MLB team and that’s huge considering they were awful every year since winning the World Series in 2019.
A large part of their success can be attributed to the growth of some of their prospects (Mitchell Parker, MacKenzie Gore), young players (Jacob Young, Luis Garcia Jr.), and post-hype sleepers (Nick Senzel).
Of course, their best player can be classified in any of those three categories: it’s shortstop CJ Abrams.
Abrams has taken a huge step forward and is now one of the best players in baseball.
He has done something that has never been done before.
“CJ Abrams is the first player in MLB history with 7+ home runs, 6+ steals, and 4+ triples in 25 games to start a season,” Baseball Reference tweeted.
CJ Abrams is the first player in MLB history with 7+ home runs, 6+ steals, and 4+ triples in 25 games to start a season 🔥#MLB ⎹ #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/r2omLCoyhf
Abrams is the definition of a dynamic player.
He was already exciting last year, when he was the flawed, but entertaining owner of a .712 OPS, 18 home runs, and 47 stolen bases.
Now, he is a legitimate star: he is hitting a cool .297/.377/.634 with seven homers, six stolen bases, and a 1.011 OPS.
As B-Ref’s stat notes, he is showcasing his power, his speed, and his gap power with those three stats: homers, steals, and triples.
Defense is still a work in progress, but make no mistake: Abrams will be an MVP candidate if he manages to maintain his current form.
The Nationals are where they are because of him.