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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The Nationals are where they are because of him.