Washington Nationals' CJ Abrams Is Out of This World
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Since the middle of last season, when Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez moved his young shortstop to the leadoff spot in the batting order, CJ Abrams quickly fell into the role. This year, another dream came true: making the 2024 MLB All-Star roster.
“Ever since I was young, I knew what it meant to make it to the All-Star Game and how prestigious the honor was. When I got the news, my parents were the first ones I called,” says the 23-year-old star. “It’s crazy to think back on all the All-Star Games I watched with my dad when I was younger and realize how lucky we are to experience this moment together as I hit the All-Star field. It was truly a full-circle moment.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
For Abrams, palpable chatter about his potential began when he starred at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Georgia. He played for the U-18 Pan-American Championships in 2018. As a senior in 2019, he was the Georgia Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. When I ask Abrams about this progression, he casts it aside as someone who understands that, in baseball, what matters most is how many hits or double plays you tallied the night before. Your résumé is 10 to 20 games old. Everything else is noise. He knows this well as someone who came to the Nationals in a package of players with little or no big-league experience from the San Diego Padres in the mega-trade for Juan Soto two summers ago.
“I’VE BEEN CALLED AN ALIEN SINCE I WAS BORN. I HAD HUGE HANDS, AND MY COACHES ALWAYS CALLED ME AN ALIEN FOR BEING THIS FAST, LITTLE, SKINNY GUY. IT’S SOMETHING THAT STUCK.” –CJ ABRAMS
So, for someone like Abrams, who has progressed past potential and sits on superstardom’s front porch, it’s most comforting to think back to childhood and the ritual of playing with his dad. “My earliest baseball memories begin with him. We played multiple times a day,” says Abrams, who grew up 45 minutes north of Atlanta in Roswell. “When I was 4, he would pitch to me, and one of the balls was blue—the only one I really ever wanted to hit. And I finally hit a home run with that ball. I was so happy, and it was something I never forgot.”
“The highlight of the entire MLB All-Star experience was walking the red carpet with my mom and dad by my side and seeing how happy they were,” says Abrams. “Versace dressed me head to toe in an alien-inspired green suit, and I was feeling my best.” PHOTO BY JACOB DOS FOR ROC NATION SPORTS
He also never forgot a nickname, The Alien, that he uses as a talisman of power and intrigue. “I’ve been called an alien since I was born,” Abrams says, laughing. “I had huge hands, and my coaches always called me an alien for being this fast, little, skinny guy. It’s something that stuck.” He wears a chain with a sparkling alien pendant, and his game bats are customized with an alien on the knob.
Since MLB changed its rules last year, stealing bases is more prevalent, and for Abrams and his tremendous speed, it’s an art form. The secret? “The night before you face an opposing pitcher, you have to do your homework to see his tendencies on the mound. You have to read his move to first base.” The cat-and-mouse chess match plays out on the field the next night.
I look at Abrams on the field, ranging to his right to make acrobatic plays at shortstop, and notice he’s a Zen player—someone who inherently understands that baseball requires equilibrium. There’s also an X factor: having fun. Is Abrams having the time of his life? He smiles: “I just go out there and play. I always have fun with my teammates,” says the shortstop, who’s close with second baseman Luis García Jr. and utility specialist Ildemaro Vargas. “I’m simply trying to get better every day.”
I ask Abrams if he allows himself to peek into the future. He pauses and grins. “I want World Series rings—plural.”
Last year, a comment like this might have sounded like an alien uttered it. But the words now ring as down to earth as the man who says it out loud for the world to hear.
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